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GENEALOGY   COLLECTION 


ALLEN  COUNTY  PUBLIC  LIBRARY 


3  1833  01239  7185 


The  Duke  of  Richmond  and  Gordon,  K.G. 

From  the  painting  by  Sir  George  Reid,  i'.K.S.A.,  in  Gordon  Castle. 


The  Gordon  Rook 


E  DUE  D 
BY  JOHN 
MALCOLM 
BULLOCH 


Published    for  Set   Forth   in 

the  Bazaar  of  Type    Produced 

the  Fochabers  and  Printed  by 

Read i no    Room  The  Rosemount 

September  mcmii  Press  Aberdeen 


X 


9*9.  & 


1135638 

The   Object  of  this  Book. 


f  HIS  Book  has  been  prepared  in  connection  with  the  Bazaar 
held  to  raise  funds  to  build  a  Public  Institute  at  Fochabers. 
An  attempt  has  bzen  made  to  make  the  Book  one  of  strong  local 
interest.  It  has  been  built  up  round  the  family  of  the,  Duke  of 
Richmond  and  Gordon,  in  view  op  the  close  relationship  of  his  House 
with  the  town  op  Fochabers,  and  the  keen  interest  which  His  Grace, 
and  the  members  op  his  family,  have  always  displayed  in  the  Library 
and  Reading-room.  The  Editor  (who  has  never  set  foot  in  Foch- 
abers) has  to  thank  the  various  contributors,  and  the  local  Committee, 
notably  Mr.  John    Tully,  for  their  assistance. 


Zhe  IRicbmonb  anb  (Sorbons 
at  (Sorbon  Castle. 


T)  ICHMOND,  Gordon,  Lennox  !  How  these  illustrious  and  noble 
^^  titles  and  names  make  our  memories  and  imaginations  course 
through  the  history  of  Scotland,  England — even  of  the  Continent  of 
Europe.  By  one  retrospective  bound,  we  are  in  the  earldom  of  Lennox 
with  King  Malcolm  Canmore.  A  move  nearer  to  this  present  century, 
and  we  are  encamped  by  Gordon  Castle  with  the  courageous  and 
intrepid  Graham,  Earl  of  Montrose.  Again,  we  are  amongst  the  din 
and  turmoil  of  the  Peninsular  War,  away  at  Orthez,  weeping  with  the 
great  Duke  of  Wellington  over  a  brave  and  plucky  British  officer  who 
is  struck  down  with  a  bullet  and  the  surgeons  pronounced  the  wound 
mortal. 

Nearer  still,  the  fourth  Duke  of  Gordon,  fearing  that  his  son 
would  die  without  issue — which  he  did — -has  entailed  his  estates  on  his 
noble  grandson.  Then  we  find  the  princely  estates  attached  to  Gordon 
Castle  devolving  to  Charles,  fifth  Duke  of  Richmond,  whose  (maternal) 
grandparents  were  Alexander,  the  fourth  Duke  of  Gordon,  and  the 
romantic,  genial,  and  generous  Duchess,  Jane  Maxwell.  Another  move 
forward  of  the  mind,  and  we  arrive  at  the  date  when  the  Russian  War 
is  ended,  and  Europe,  to  all  intents  and  purposes,  has  started  on  a 
new  era  of  peace. 

See  the  father  and  mother  of  the  present  Duke  of  Richmond 
and  Gordon !  Around  them,  their  young  daughters  ;  the  Earl  of 
March  (now  our  beloved  Duke),  with  his  own  family;  his  brothers, 
Lords  Henry,  Alexander,  and  George.  What  a  galaxy  of  true  nobility! 
See  the  soldier  father  (who,  by  the  careful  nursing  of  his  army 
surgeon,  Dr.  Hair,  did  not  succumb  to  the  enemy's  bullet  at  Orthez), 


6  The  Gordon   Book 

the  hero  of  many  a  war-like  struggle  on  the  battlefields  of  the  Penin- 
sula ;  the  brave,  the  ever  reliable,  and  favourite  officer  oi  Wellington  ; 
the  aide-de-camp  who  never  flinched  from  duty,  however  hazardous  ; 
who  spent  continuous  days  and  nights  in  the  saddle,  alone  in  the  enemy's 
territory,  with  nothing  but  his  goodly  sword  by  his  side,  literally  cutting 
his  way  to  reach  the  goal,  with  despatches  on  which  Britain's  fate 
depended  (vixere  fortes  ante  Agamemnona)  ;  the  history  of  whose  in- 
domitable "go"  and  pluck  eclipse  anything  in  the  military  records  of 
purely  legitimate  service;  the  soldier's  friend,  courteous,  kind,  impartial, 
but  firm  ;  first  in  the  orderly  room,  always  ready  for  parade;  possessed 
of  singleness  of  purpose,  depth  of  affection  for  his  home,  his  children, 
and  their  adored  mother — Charles,  fifth  Duke  of  Richmond,  is  a 
splendid  type  of  what  a  British  officer  should  be. 

See  his  noble  Duchess  (the  eldest  daughter  of  Lord  Anglesey, 
the  hero  of  Sahagun),  possessing  every  quality  that  can  grace  a 
woman's  character,  and  a  beauty  unmatched  ;  a  loving  mother ;  a 
devoted,  affectionate  wife  ;  her  noble  husband,  her  home,  her  children, 
her  grandchildren,  being  her  only  care,  her  only  joy.  Even  now  I  see 
them,  far  away  as  it  may  seem,  when  Alma  and  Inkerman  had  just 
been  fought,  and  the  memory  of  these  battles  was  but  green,  enjoying 
in  the  autumn,  after  a  long  journey  from  their  English  estate,  Good- 
wood, Sussex,  the  bracing  and  invigorating  freedom  of  their  Highland 
home  at  Castle  Gordon,  having,  for  the  nonce,  quitted  the  sultry 
atmosphere  of  the  London  season,  to  chase  the  red  deer,  follow  the 
roe,  or  land  the  trout  and  salmon  by  the  banks  of  the  rapid  Spey. 

Finding  that  the  satisfactory  control  of  the  extensive  Gordon 
estates  called  for  much  anxious  energy  and  exhaustive  administration, 
his  Grace,  resolved  to  do  his  utmost  for  his  tenantry,  had  reluctantly 
retired  from  active  service  ;  and  at  the  date  mentioned  is  devoted  to 
agriculture.  At  the  Smithheld  cattle  shows  his  Southdowns  carry 
everything  before  them.  They  are  not  only  reared  at  Goodwood,  but 
they  are  descended  from  sheep  bred  there.      Here  is  a  thorough  and 


Gordon  Castle. 

From  a  Photograph,  taken  specially  lor  this  book,  by  Mr.  W.  F.  Webster,  Chanonry,  Old  Aberdeen. 


The  Richmond  and  Gordons  at  Gordon  Castle  7 

a  veritable  English  farmer  for  you.  Ever  a  friend  to  the  old  soldier 
and  veteran,  he  is  also  a  splendid  friend  to  the  agriculturist.  He 
holds  all  cant  and  hypocrisy  in  utter  detestation.  Rigidly  adhering 
to  the  close  observance  of  the  Sabbath  especially,  he  always  sets  a 
pious  example,  and  is  firmly  attached  to  the  Protestant  religion  ;  a 
soldier  and  a  man  ! 

But  time  brings  changes,  and  the  benevolent  nobleman,  soldier, 
and  statesman  has  been  laid  to  rest  with  his  forefathers,  his  eldest 
son,  our  present  Duke  of  Richmond  and  Gordon,  succeeding  him. 
Inheriting  the  same  nobleness  of  character,  undaunted  courage  (for 
he  has  been  a  soldier,  and  also  aide-de-camp  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington), 
the  generous  courtesy — in  fact,  all  the  grand  attributes  of  his  parents — 
with  unerring  and  splendid  dignity  he  graces  the  Dukedoms  of 
Richmond  and  Gordon.  Near  him,  the  Duchess,  a  devoted  wife  and 
mother  ;  around  them,  a  familv  of  true  distinction,  two  daughters  and 
four  sons — -Lords  March,  Algernon,  Francis,  and  Walter.  With 
graceful  courtliness,  how  they  have,  one  and  all,  made  themselves 
beloved  by  Fochabers,  which  has  affectionately  watched  them  reach 
womanhood  and  manhood;  followed  them  especially  with  sympathetic 
anxiety,  when  Britain  called  upon  her  sons  to  fight  for  her  in  South 
Africa. 

The  Earl  of  March,  with  the  fervent  patriotism  of  a  Richmond 
and  Gordon,  the  soul  of  a  soldier,  dedicated  his  life  in  South  Africa 
for  his  King  and  country,  and,  with  the  daring  that  nerved  his 
noble  grandfather,  went  out  at  the  head  of  his  regiment.  See  Lord 
Algernon  (Algy),  free,  frank,  manly,  the  very  ideal  of  an  athletic  field 
officer.  His  career  and  achievements  in  the  service,  his  reputation 
as  a  soldier,  add  lustre  to  the  already  grand  military  scroll  of  the 
Richmond  and  Gordon  family.  Never  of  a  robust  nature,  Lord 
Walter,  the  ever  urbane  and  kind,  was  not  justified,  phvsically,  in 
turning  his  mind  to  the  art  of  war.  As  a  politician,  he  has  proved  he 
is  made  of  sterling  metal.     He  has  also  proved  that  he  inherits  all  the 


8  The  Gordon  Book 

courage  and  resolution  of  the  Richmond  and  Gordon  family.  In  the 
next  generation  the  military  spirit  is  again  dominant.  At  the  out- 
break of  the  recent  war,  the  three  sons  of  the  Earl  of  March  unhesi- 
tatingly threw  themselves  into  the  breach  and  served  with  distinction. 
Lord  Settrington,  the  second  in  direct  succession  to  the  Dukedom, 
now  a  captain  in  the  Irish  Guards,  became  aide-de-camp  to  Lord 
Roberts,  and  received  the  D.S.O.  His  two  brothers,  the  Hon. 
Esme,  of  the  Scots  Guards,  and  the  Hon.  Bernard,  of  the  Grenadier 
Guards,  also  endured  the  hardships  of  the  campaign. 

A  brief  glance  at  a  few  of  the  many  acts  of  kindness  the  family 
have  done  for  Fochabers.  At  a  most  critical,  perhaps  the  most 
important  moment  of  the  history  of  the  town,  Providence  seems  to 
have  sent  Charles,  the  fifth  Duke  of  Richmond,  amongst  them  to 
rescue  a  heritage,  which,  through  the  difficulties  and  complications  of 
international  law,  seemed  lost  to  Fochabers  beyond  recovery — the 
splendid  bequest  of  Milne  (the  founder  of  Milne's  Free  School, 
Fochabers),  he  (it  is  a  story  that  cannot  be  related  too  frequently) 
who,  after  amassing  a  fortune  in  New  Orleans,  left  many  thousands  of 
dollars  to  give  free  education  to  the  town  and  parish  of  his  birth. 
Mountains  of  legal  obstacles  faced  Fochabers,  which  to  this  day  refuses 
to  house  a  lawyer.  The  Duke  of  Richmond,  however,  like  the  soldier 
he  was,  stormed  the  law  citadels  of  America,  and  ultimately  he 
rescued  the  Milne  bequest  from  the  iron  grip  of  litigation,  and  never 
rested  until  he  saw  the  precious  heritage  of  free  education  safe  in 
Scotland  and  Milne's  Free  School  erected  in  Fochabers.  That  is 
only  one  instance  of  the  Duke's  many  kindnesses,  but  it  proves  con- 
clusively that  in  the  lexicon  of  the  Richmonds  there  is  no  such  word 
as  fail. 

Coming  to  his  son,  the  present  Duke,  every  want,  everything  that 
will  add  to  the  comfort,  happiness,  and  well-being  of  the  inhabitants 
of  Fochabers  and  his  numerous  tenants,  he  seems  to  anticipate. 
Seeing  that   it   would  be  a  great   boon  and  comfort  to  the    town,  he 


Four  Generations. 


This  picture  shows  His  Grace  the  Duke  of  Richmond  and  Gordon  (born  1818) ;  his  son  (seated 
beside  him)  the  Earl  of  March,  born  1845  ;  the  latter's  son  (standing)  Lord  Settrington,  born  1870;  and 
the  latter's  son,  the  Hon.  Charles  Gordon-Lennox,  born  1899,  who  is  third  in  succession  to  the 
Dukedom.  This  picture  is  reproduced  by  the  courtesy  of  James  Russell  &  Sons,  Baker  Street, 
London. 


The  Richmond  and  Gordons  at  Gordon  Castle  9 

introduces,  free  of  charge,  a  water  supply.  When  the  local  curling 
club  cried  out  for  a  pond,  his  Grace  generously  surrendered  one  of 
the  most  sylvan  nooks  of  his  picturesquely  wooded  "ward"  for  their 
special  use.  Seeing  that  golf  could  not  be  played  by  the  inhabitants 
without  links,  or  an  ample  course  of  some  sort,  he  again  came  to  the 
rescue  of  the  enthusiasts  with  a  noble  sweep  of  green  sward  within  a 
stone's  throw  of  his  very  "entry"  door;  and  where  is  the  town,  so 
happy  blessed,  that  can  boast  of  a  cricket  park  for  the  special  use  of 
its  youth,  generously  given  free  by  the  lord  of  the  manor  ?  As  a 
landlord,  he  stands  unequalled.  Many  and  many  a  tenant-farmer 
has  reason  to  bless  his  name.  The  reductions  for  the  last  twenty 
years  in  his  rent-roll  redound  and  testify  to  his  Grace's  noble 
generosity.  Kind  hearted,  condescending,  and  with  a  personal  care 
for  the  interests  and  welfare  of  every  employee  and  servant  (even  the 
humblest),  and  all  his  estate  staff,  he  is  universally  beloved. 

His  mother  was  untiring  in  ministering  to  the  wants  of  the  needy, 
and  of  every  one.  Accompanied  by  her  youngest  daughter,  Lady 
Cecilia  (now  Lady  Lucan),  she  was  to  be  seen  daily  carrying  comfort 
in  the  shape  of  tins  of  soup,  to  the  bedside  of  the  poor  invalid,  or 
ordering  yards  upon  yards  of  the  best  flannel  to  bring  warmth  to  a 
distressed  sufferer.  She  was  passionately  fond  of  the  beautiful,  and 
especially  of  flowers,  and  the  spacious  gardens  of  Gordon  Castle 
engrossed  her  loving  attention.  Resolved  that  they  should  vie  with  the 
very  best  in  the  Kingdom,  she  set  to  work  with  characteristic  energy, 
and  discovered  in  the  late  Charles  Duncan,  a  son  of  Fochabers,  whose 
forefathers  had  been  attached  to  the  Castle,  one  whose  natural  artistic 
instinct  and  experienced  capacity — -inspired  by  her  fine  taste  and  by 
the  advice  of  Sir  Joshua  Jebb,  a  life-long  friend  of  the  Richmonds — 
<rave  to  the  gardens  of  Castle  Gordon  those  noble  fountains,  classic 
and  graceful  vases,  handsome  centre  adornments,  presentments  of 
stags,  miles  of  balustrading,  which  stand  now,  clean  and  fresh  as  when 
they  were  done.      It  was   an  engrossing  pastime  to  her,   for,  at  the 


io  The  Gordon  Book 

time,  the  loss  of  her  dear  son,  the  kind-hearted,  ill-fated  Fitzroy, 
plunged  her  in  great  grief,  and  the  emotional  strain  on  her  tender, 
noble,  and  motherly  heart  caused  the  gravest  apprehension. 

In  such  a  survey  of  close  on  fifty  years,  it  can  be  no  matter  for 
wonder  that  death  should  have  made  some  blanks  in  the  family.  His 
Grace  is  now  the  only  surviving  son  left  of  five.  His  noble  sister, 
Her  Serene  Highness  Princess  Edward  of  Saxe  Weimar  (Lady 
Augusta),  and  her  devoted  soldier  husband  (who  was  wounded  in  the 
trenches  at  the  Crimea)  His  Serene  Highness  Prince  Edward  of  Saxe 
Weimar,  are  well,  and  never  forget  Castle  Gordon.  His  Grace's 
youngest  sister  Lady  Lucan  (Lady  Cecilia)  and  her  husband,  Lord 
Lucan,  and  their  distinguished  soldier  sons  and  daughters  are  well. 
Keen  was  the  Duke's  paternal  grief  when  his  beloved  daughter,  Lady 
Florence,  and  his  handsome  soldier  son,  Lord  Francis,  were  taken. 

Keener  and  more  poignant  still,  when  his  much-loved  Duchess 
(a  daughter  of  the  distinguished  Greville)  died  fifteen  years  ago. 
Her  life's  work  was  devoted  to  emulating  the  splendid  example 
of  her  husband's  mother  in  unforgettable  acts  of  kindness  and 
charity.  She  was  universally  beloved  by  great  and  small.  For  many 
years  it  was  only  too  transparent  that  some  of  the  houses  in  the  town 
(improvised  dwellings  originally,  the  majority  of  them)  had  served 
their  purpose,  and  that,  from  every  point  of  view,  demolition  would  be 
the  best  and  only  alternative.  Her  Grace  promptly  came  to  the 
rescue,  secured  as  much  of  the  decayed  and  decaying  property  as 
quickly  as  she  could,  and,  on  the  ruins,  erected  homes  that  are  not 
only  more  comfortable  and  commodious,  but  are  certainlv  more 
ornamental  and  convenient.  Again,  with  her  broad  and  philanthropic 
instincts,  she  grasped  a  situation  that  ought  to  have  long  been 
apparent  to  the  inhabitants,  — the  encouragement  of  intellectual  im- 
provements ;  in  fine,  the  establishment  of  the  present  Fochabers 
Reading-Room  and  Library.  We  all  know  how  generouslv  and 
successfully  she  inaugurated  this   Institution,  and  how  valuable  were 


George,  ist  Duke  of  Gordon,  with  his  Sox  and  Daughter. 


This  picture,  painted  by  Sir  John  Baptist-Medina  (1659-1710),  shows  the  ist  Duke  (seated),  his 
son,  the  2nd  Duke,  and  his  daughter  Jane,  who  became  Duchess  of  Perth.  The  Duke  was  born  in  1643, 
and  succeeded  his  father  as  4th  Marquis  of  Huntly  in  1653.  He  married  Lady  Elizabeth  Howard, 
daughter  of  the  6th  Duke  of  Norfolk,  and  like  her,  was  a  Roman  Catholic.     He  died  at  Leith  in  rjie. 


The  Richmond  and  Gordons  at  Gordon  Castle  n 

the  many  volumes  Gordon  Castle  bequeathed  at  the  initial  stage 
of  the  Library's  existence.  To-day  the  Reading-Room  is  an 
indispensable  factor  in  the  history  of  the  town.  Indeed,  it  has 
succeeded  so  well  that  more  commodious  premises  are  an  imperative 
necessity,  and  at  this  moment  a  scheme  has  been  framed  for  the 
carrying  out  of  this  object.  Here,  again,  the  Richmond  and  Gordon 
family  are  to  the  front  in  well-doing. 

His  Grace's  only  daughter,  Lady  Caroline  Gordon-Lennox, 
whose  kindness  to  the  poor  equals  that  of  her  mother  or  grandmother, 
has,  with  a  characteristic  energy,  resolved  to  do  her  very  best  for  this 
laudable  endeavour.  It  was  she  who  determined  that  the  bazaar  should 
be  held  in  the  autumn  of  1902  within  the  grounds  of  Gordon  Castle, 
under  her  personal  supervision  and  arrangement,  so  as  to  bring 
practical  help  to  the  building  funds. 

The  generous  and  disinterested  kindness  of  the  Richmond  and 
Gordons  would,  therefore,  appear  to  be  inexhaustible.  The  town  of 
Fochabers  is  indeed  a  highly  favoured  spot — -lying,  as  it  does,  under 
the  shadow  of  the  noble  Castle  of  the  Gordons,  with  a  gracious,  kind, 
and  commanding  Duke  ;  near  him,  his  eldest  son,  the  warm-hearted 
Earl  of  March,  and  his  Grace's  only  daughter,  Lady  Caroline  ;  with 
the  conviction  that  the  owner  of  the  very  ground  they  walk  on  has 
his  finger  on  every  spot  of  their  simple  lives,  and  that  his  only  care  is 
to  study  affectionately  the  welfare  of  every  parent,  child,  and  tenant 
around  him,  Fochabers  is  indeed  supremely  blessed. 

George   Roy  Duncan. 
London,   iqth  jfiuie,   1902. 


Zo  1bev  (Brace. 

I  bend  the  knee  before  your  Grace, 
Whose  laughing  eyes  and  sunny  face 

Sir  Joshua's  genius  has  displayed. 

And  when,  perchance,  his  colours  fade 
You  still  must  hold  an  honoured  place. 

To  you,  who  led  in  Fashion's  trace, 
Who  made  the  dance  fight  dice  and  ace, 

And  dressed  the  dames  in  tartan  plaid, 
I  bend  the  knee. 

The  restless  days  slip  past  apace — 

Forgetful  is  the  populace  : 

Yet  Time  but  makes  the  Maxwell  maid 
The  greater  Queen.      Your  brave  brigade 

Keeps  bright  your  name.      To  all  the  race 
I  bend  the  knee. 


j.  m.  B. 


TV /T  ANY  memories  circle  round  her  Grace  ;  but  the  Duchess  has 
^ *  never  got  her  due,  at  least  in  the  shape  of  formal  biography. 
Yet  posterity  could  no  more  forget  her  than  it  could  pass  over  Mrs. 
Siddons,  for  she  had  in  a  supreme  degree  that  mysterious  gift  of 
personality  which  forces  the  possessor  on  the  attention  of  contem- 
poraries, and  sometimes  of  posterity.  Her  connection  with  the  region 
which  remembers  her  most  affectionately  was  largely  a  geographical 
accident.  Indeed,  she  was  indebted  to  the  North  for  practically 
nothing,  save  that  social  elevation  which  gave  her  a  fitting  stage  on 
which  she  could  play  her  life  story  to  some  purpose.  Independent  of 
that,  almost  in  defiance  of  it,  she  made  her  way  to  the  heart  of  her 
contemporaries  in  general  and  of  her  consort's  tenantry  in  particular. 
Jane  Maxwell  is  indeed  a  figure  that  cannot  fade  from  the  eighteenth 
century  social  history. 

Her  personal  magnetism  was  of  that  large,  florid  type  which  belongs 
essentially  to  the  actor's  temperament.  It  was,  necessarily,  a  person- 
ality that  was  the  object  of  much  adverse  criticism,  because  it  raised 
many  jealousies.  No  sooner  did  she  appear  in  any  circle  of  society 
than  she  at  once  dominated  it.  Horace  Walpole  called  her  the 
"  Empress  of  Fashion  ;  "  and  even  Wraxall,  who  said  some  nasty 
things  about  her  Grace,  was  compelled  to  admit  that  few  women  have 
performed  a  more  conspicuous  part  or  occupied  a  higher  place  in  the 
"theatre  of  fashion,  politics,  and  dissipation;"  he  even  goes  on  to  declare 
that  "the  season  never  commenced  without  her  arrival  in  town."  She 
held  court  in  London  and  in  Edinburgh,  where  everybody  who  was 
anybody  flocked  to  her  salons  ;  while  she  entered  into  the  life  of  her 


14  The  Gordon   Book 

husband's  stay-at-home  tenants  with  the  touch  of  sympathetic  appre- 
ciation which  can  never  be  forgotten. 

Scattered  up  and  down  the  gossip  of  her  time  you  will  find  in- 
numerable references  to  her  Grace.  In  fact,  few  figures  in  the 
eighteenth  century  admit  of  a  clearer  portraiture,  and  yet  nobody  has 
taken  the  trouble  to  paint  a  picture  of  the  witty  Duchess.  In  lieu  of 
a  definite  canvas,  I  have  simply  strung  together  a  few  of  the  impressions 
of  her  contemporaries,  for  they  speak  much  more  directly  than  I  could 
possibly  do. 

It  adds  greatly  to  a  clear  conception  of  her  Grace's  personality  if 
one  remembers  that  Jane  Maxwell  was  not  born  in  the  North,  which 
is  built,  I  take  it,  on  qualities  essentially  antagonistic  to  her  methods. 
She  was  the  second  daughter  of  Sir  William  Maxwell,  the  third  baronet 
of  Monreith,  in  Wigtownshire  ;  and  her  mother  was  a  Blair.  She  was 
born  in  Hyndford's  Close,  in  Edinburgh,  and  was  brought  up  vigor- 
ously, and  in  comparative  poverty— which,  however,  in  no  way  damped 
her  enormous  spirits.  She  was  an  inveterate  optimist  ;  in  girlhood,  a 
bit  of  a  hoyden  ;  as  a  mature  woman,  energetic  to  a  fault.  Luck  came 
to  her  as  a  girl  of  eighteen,  for  she  won  the  hand  and  heart  of  the 
greatest  nobleman  in  the  land,  namely,  the  fourth  Duke  of  Gordon, 
who  had  succeeded  his  father  at  the  age  of  nine.  The  marriage  took 
place  in  Edinburgh  on  October  23rd,  1767,  at  the  house  of  her  brother- 
in-law,  Fordyce  of  Ayton,  who  had  married  her  elder  sister  ;  and  from 
that  day  to  the  time  of  her  death,  forty-five  years  later,  she  was  a  figure 
to  be  reckoned  with  in  the  world  of  fashion. 

The  Duchess  was  a  wonderfully  pretty  girl,  and  became  a  hand- 
some, rather  than  a  beautiful,  woman.  Even  in  1800,  when  she  was 
almost   fifty,   a    critic,   who  was    the    soul    of   candour, 

Her  Beauty. 

writing  in  Public  C  haractcrs,  says  : — ■ 

Her  Grace  is  somewhat  above  the  middle  size,  very  finely  shaped,  though 
now  considerably  embonpoint.  Her  face  is  oval,  with  dark,  expressive  eyes, 
very  regular  features,  fine  complexion,  and  a  most  engaging  expression. 


The  Due  of  the  Duchess  15 

The  energy  of  her  Grace  was,  as  Dominie  Sampson  might  say, 

"  prodeegious."     Wraxall,  who  calls  it    "  almost   unparalleled,"  says 

that,  on  the  discomfiture  of  Burgoyne's  army,  she  set  off, 
Her  Energy. 

in  the  midst  of  winter,  for  the  Highlands,   and,  by   her 

personal  exertions,  raised  a  troop  of  volunteers.  Walpole,  writing  to 
Miss  Berry  in  1791,  tells  her  that  the  Duchess,  "  one  of  the  Empresses 
of  Fashion,  uses  fifteen  or  sixteen  hours  of  her  twenty-four  "  : — 

I  heard  her  journal  of  last  Monday.  She  went  first  to  Handel's  music  in  the 
Abbey.  She  then  clambered  over  the  benches  and  went  to  Hasting's  trial  in  the 
hall ;  after  dinner  to  the  play,  then  to  Lord  Lucan's  assembly,  after  that  to  Ranelagh, 
and  returned  to  Mrs.  Hobart's  faro  table  ;  gave  a  ball  herself  in  the  evening— or 
that  morning,  into  which  she  must  have  got  a  good  way  ;  and  set  out  for  Scot- 
land next  day.  Hercules  could  not  have  achieved  a  quarter  of  her  labours  in  the 
same  space  of  time. 

The  Duchess  had  many  admirers.      Thus  we  find  in  his  Memoirs 

that   Robert,    Earl    Nugent,   who   died   in    1788,   composed  verses   to 

her  when  Lord  Temple  (father  of  the  first   Marquis   of 

Her  Admirers.  . 

Buckingham),     whom     Walpole     calls     the     "  absolute 

creature  of  Pitt,"  entertained  her  and  the  Duke  at  Stowe  in  1776, 
and  lighted  up  a  grotto  for  her  reception.  Lieutenant-General  Grant, 
writing  to  Lord  Cornwallis,  January  10,  1787,  says  : — 

Sir  John  Macpherson,  Bart.  (Agent  for  the  Carnatic),  flatters  the  Duchess  of 
Gordon  by  obeying  all  her  commands,  and  telling  her  that  she  must  consider 
herself  as  Governor-General  while  he  remains  in  office,  and  begging  to  have  the 
honour  of  attending  the  Marquis  of  Huntly  upon  his  travels  when  he  returns  to 
Europe  ;  which  is  no  bad  line  of  paying  court  to  our  grand  Duchess. 

The  Duchess  had  various  houses  in  London  from  time  to  time, 
evidently  preferring  to  lease  a  house  instead  of  setting  up  a  regular 
The  Duchess's  London  residence.  In  1787,  she  was  living  at  10 
London  Houses.  Upper  Grosvenor  Street.  In  1788,  she  occupied  a 
house  in  Pall  Mall,  belonging  to  the  xMarquis  of  Buckingham, 
whose    father,    Lord    Temple,   she  had  known  so    well.       According 


1 6  The  Gordon   Book 

to  the  Gentlemen  s  Magazine,  it  was  in  this  house  that  she  nearly 
met  her  death  on  March  20,  1789  : — ■ 

As  her  Grace,  with  her  daughter,  was  waiting  the  coming  up  of  her  carriage 
at  her  house  in  Pall  Mall,  a  flying  spark  fell  on  the  gauze  dress  of  her  Grace,  and 
set  it  on  fire,  and,  but  for  the  presence  of  mind  of  Lady  Charlotte,  would  have 
been  in  a  flame.  Providentially,  her  Grace  received  no  injury,  except  for  the 
fright.     But  Lady  Charlotte's  arms  were  somewhat  scorched. 

In  1797,  the  Duchess  was  living  in  Piccadilly,  and  the  marriage  of  her 
daughter  Louise,  with  Viscount  Brome,  afterwards  Marquis  Cornwallis, 
took  place  there  on  April  17  of  that  year.  The  Duchess  gave  a  dance 
at  Piccadilly  in  July,  1801.  It  was  in  this  house  that  her  brother  Sir 
William  Maxwell's  daughter,  Madeline,  was  married,  May  18,  1801, 
to  James  du  Pre  of  Walton  Park,  Bucks,  and  thus  became  the  grand- 
mother of  Mr.  Labouchere.  The  Duchess  lived  at  No.  6  St.  James's 
Square,  while  the  owner,  the  fourth  Earl  of  Bristol,  was  absent  on  the 
Continent,  sometime  between  1788-99.  She  seems  to  have  had  a 
house  in  Portman  Square  in  the  spring  of  1805,  for  I  have  before  me  a 
letter  written  to  a  friend  in  the  North  from  this  address.  In  1806,  she 
had  a  lease  of  No.  16  St.  James's  Square,  then  occupied  by  the  first 
Lord  Anson,  and  now  by  the  East  India  United  Service  Club. 

Amid   much   nonsense  which  has  been   talked  about  that  phan- 
tom,  the   New  Woman,  is   the  idea  that  the   woman  who   takes  an 
Her  London         active  share  in  anything  but  the  house  and  hearth  is  a 
Salon.  modern  product.      The  Duchess  of  Gordon  was  a  figure 

to  be  reckoned  with  in  Imperial  politics  quite  a  century  ago,  while 
she,  the  two  Duchesses  of  Devonshire,  and  her  Grace  of  Rutland 
occupied  a  position  of  power  which  is  represented  by  no  living  Eng- 
lishwomen. One  epigram  of  the  period  hits  them  cleverly  oh  in  lines 
very  characteristic  of  the  period — ■ 

Come,   Paris,  leave  your  hills  and   dells, 

You'll  scorn  your  dowdy  goddesses 
If  once  you   sec  our  English  belles, 

P"or  all  their  gowns  and  boddices. 


The  Famous  Jane  Maxwell,  Wife  of  the  4x11  Duke  of  Gordon. 

This  is  a  reproduction  of  Sir  Joshua  Reynold's  famous  picture  which  hangs  in  Gordon  Castle  and 
has  been  frequently  engraved.  The  Duchess,  Jane  Maxwell,  was  the  second  daughter  of  Sir  William 
Maxwell,  3rd  Bart,  of  Monreith,  Wigtonshire.  Born  in  174S,  she  married  the  4th  Duke  of  Gordon  in 
1767,  and  died  in  London,  April  r4,  1812,  at  the  age  of  64.  It  was  she  who  raised  the  Gordon  High- 
landers for  her  son,  the  5th  and  last  Duke  of  Gordon. 


The  Due  of  the  Duchess  17 

Here's  Juno  Devon;  all  sublime, 

Minerva  Gordon's  wit  and  eyes  ; 
Sweet   Rutland,  Venus  in   her  prime  : 

You'll  die  before  you  give  the  prize. 

That  inveterate  gossip,  Sir  Nathaniel  Wraxall,  who  celebrated  the 
year  of  Waterloo  by  publishing  his  delightful,  if  somewhat  malicious, 
memoirs,  accounts  for  her  power  : — 

She  was  not  feminine  in  person,  manners,  or  mind  ;  her  features,  however 
noble  and  regular,  always  animated,  constantly  in  play,  never  deficient  in  vivacity 
or  intelligence,  yet  displayed  no  timidity.  They  were  sometimes  overclouded  by 
occasional  frowns  of  anger  and  vexation  ;  much  more  frequently  lighted  up  with 
smiles.  Her  conversation  bore  a  very  strong  analogy  to  her  intellectual  forma- 
tion. Exempted  by  her  sex,  rank,  and  beauty  from  those  restraints  imposed  on 
women  by  the  generally  recognised  usages  of  society,  the  Duchess  of  Gordon 
frequently  dispensed  with  their  observance.  Such  characteristics,  however  de- 
tracting from  our  interest  in  her  as  a  pattern  of  feminine  life,  were  in  the  highest 
degree  desirable  to  the  leading  political  powers  of  the  day,  who  were  most 
eager  to  avail  themselves  of  the  influence  which  her  personal  attractions,  high 
mental  powers,  and  lofty  status  gave  her  against  their  more  feminine,  but  most 
potent  rival,  the  Duchess  of  Devonshire.  Whilst  the  latter  won  the  hearts  of 
coal-heavers  to  Fox  and  the  Opposition,  the  former  acted  as  the  "  whipper-in  " 
to  Pitt  and  the  Ministry.  Her  elegant  mansion  in  Pall  Mall,  crowded  with 
every  refined  excitement  to  pleasure,  was  rendered  quite  subservient  to  political 
purposes  ;  and,  by  the  energetic  aid  of  its  members,  was  made  to  render  her 
political  friends  good  service.  She  even  acted  as  a  "  whipper-in  "  of  Ministers. 
Confiding  in  her  rank,  her  sex,  and  personal  attractions,  she  ventured  to  send  for 
Members  of  Parliament  to  question,  to  remonstrate,  to  use  every  means  for  con- 
forming their  adherence  to  the  Government. 

Her  Grace  had  a  "groom  of  the  chamber,"  Mr.  Matthias  D'Amour, 
a  Belgian,  who  had  an  unbounded  admiration  for  her,  and  gives  us  a 
most  intimate  picture  of  her  salon  in  his  now  forgotten  Memoirs,  which 
were  published  in  the  year  1836.  He  tells  us,  to  take  one  instance, 
that — ■ 

The  members  of  the  Administration,  then  under  the  guidance  of  Mr.  Pitt 
[who  was  descended  from  an  Innes  of  Reidhall],  not  infrequently  met  around 
our  [!]  table,  affording  me  delightful  opportunities  of  peeping  behind  the  scenes 
of  government.  These  parties  were  always  individually  invited  by  Mr.  Pitt 
himself.  We  only  knew  the  number,  but  not  the  names,  of  the  personages  expected. 

3 


iS  The  Gordon   Book 

On  one  occasion  when  we  were  expecting  the  Prime  Minister  and  his  colleagues  to 
supper,  her  Grace,  beginning  to  feel  impatient  as  it  grew  late,  requested  me  to 
send  to  the  House  of  Commons  and  try  to  ascertain  by  some  means  if  the  House 
was  likely  to  break  up  soon.  The  messenger  brought  word  that  Mr.  Dundas  was 
upon  his  legs ;  but  nothing  further  could  be  learnt.  When  they  came,  the 
Duchess,  in  expressing  her  apprehension  that  the  supper  was  spoiled,  asked  Mr. 
Dundas,  "  What  in  the  name  of  wonder  induced  him  to  make  a  speech  that 
night  ?  "  adding  that  "  she  had  sent  her  compliments  to  Mr.  Fox,  requesting  him, 
as  a  favour,  not  to  make  a  long  speech."  Mr.  Pitt  laughed  heartily,  and  remarked, 
with  singular  liberality,  "  Mr.  Fox  has  not  obeyed  your  Grace  ;  he  has  made  a 
long  speech,  decidedly  the  best  which  I  ever  heard  within  the  walls  of  Parlia- 
ment." I  was  often  astonished,  especially  when  Mr.  Pitt  was  present,  out  of  what 
trifles  they  [the  Duchess  and  her  friends]  would  spin  a  whole  web  of  pleasing 
conversation.  On  one  occasion,  when  on  a  visit  at  Mr.  Harry  Dundas's,  the 
Secretary  of  State,  afterward  Lord  Melville,  our  Duchess,  as  I  remember,  and 
Mr.  Dundas,  with  some  others,  were  seated  in  a  room  into  which  the  moon  shone 
brightly  during  the  dusk  of  the  evening.  Her  Grace  made  a  passing  remark, 
"  How  beautifully  the  moon  shone  behind  the  window."  "  No,  your  Grace, " 
replied  Mr.  Dundas,  "  the  moon  does  not  shine  behind  the  window- -it  shines 
before  the  window."  Her  Grace  was  as  tenacious  in  defending  her  assertion  as 
Mr.  Harry  was  in  maintaining  his  amendment  ;  and,  as  neither  party  were 
disposed  to  yield,  they  actually  reserved  the  point  in  dispute  for  deliberation 
next  day  of  the  whole  congregated  Administration  of  George  the  Third  :  and 
for  a  full  hour  the  Secretary  of  State,  as  well  as  Pitt,  Lord  Thurlow  (who  was 
the  Lord  Chancellor),  Mr.  Wilberforce  (then  a  young  man),  the  Marquis  [sic]  of 
Aberdeen,  and  a  number  more  almost  equally  distinguished,  were  employed  in 
the  most  lively  and  humorous  manner  to  decide  the  question.  Sometimes  the 
discourse  would  take  a  political  turn  :  and  whenever  news  of  a  victory  over  the 
Americans  had  been  recently  received,  or  any  similar  event  had  taken  place,  the 
Duchess  (who  was  a  great  politician)  was  sure  to  give  Mr.  Pitt  an  Administration 
dinner. 

Horace  Walpole,  writing  to  the  Miss  Berrys  on  January  29,  1791, 

tells   the  story  of  her  Grace's  ease  with  the  statesmen  of  the  day  :■ — 

"  The  other  night,  coming  out  of  an  assembly,  she  said  to  Dundas  : 

'  Mr.    Dundas,  you  are  used  to  speak  in  public.       Will  you  call  my 

servant  ?  '         There  are  many  stories  about  the  bitterness  which  sprang 

up  between  her  Grace  and  Dundas.     When  he  was  cornered  bv  Samuel 

Whitbread,  the  brewer,  over  the  Navy  Scandal  in  1S05,  she  suggested 

that  Dundas  had  become  the  brewer's  "whole  butt." 


The  Due  of  the  Duchess  19 

It  will  give  you  some  idea  of  the  Duchess's  importance   when   I 
say  that  the  Princess  Lamballe,  on  coming  to  England,  was  conjured 
(according  to   Secret    Memoirs  of  the  Royal  Family  of 
Hl\  Pt>1VLer,aS  a  France)by  Marie  Antoinette  to  cultivate  the  acquaint- 

Place= Maker.  /      J  1 

ance  of  her  Grace,  "who  was  supposed  to  possess  more 
influence  than  any  woman  in  England,  in  order  to  learn  the  sentiments 
of  Mr.  Pitt  relative  to  the  revolutionary  troubles.  The  Duchess,  how- 
ever, was  too  much  interested  in  the  ruin  of  France  to  give  her  the 
least  clue  to  the  truth."      The  Princess  came  secretly  to  England. 

Her  Grace  was  well  known,  however,  to  French  society,  although 
I  cannot  say  whether  she  could  speak  French.  She  was  in  Paris  in 
the  early  part  of  the  year  1803.  Sir  Harry  Englefield  assures  us  that 
she  then  gave  "  Continental  balls  and  fetes,"  while  the  gossiping  Lady 
Jerningham  (whose  letters  have  been  edited  by  Mr.  Egerton  Castle, 
the  novelist),  tells  us  that  she  "  plays  everywhere,  [and]  rattles  the 
dice  herself."  It  was  at  this  time  that  she  tried  to  get  Napoleon's 
stepson  Eugene  Beauharnais  as  a  husband  for  her  youngest  daughter 
Georgiana.  Napoleon  (whose  fate  was  to  be  mixed  up  so  curiously 
with  the  triumph  at  Brussels  of  her  eldest  daughter,  the  Duchess  of 
Richmond),  vetoed  the  project.  So  her  Grace  came  home  and 
annexed  the  6th  Duke  of  Bedford  for  Georgiana  in  June  of  the  same 
year. 

Her  enemies,  of  course,  declared  that  the  Duchess  was  always 
using  her  political  influence  to  help  her  husband's  family.  Wraxall 
tells  us  that  it  was  she  who  got  for  her  brother-in-law,  Lord  William 
Gordon,  the  post  of  Vice -Admiral  of  Scotland  and  the  Deputy  - 
Rangership  of  St.  James  and  Hyde  Park,  and  the  Great  Seal  of  Scot- 
land for  her  husband.  On  the  other  hand,  all  her  political  power  could 
not  save  her  other  brother-in-law  Lord  George  Gordon,  the  Rioter, 
from  being  imprisoned.  Certain  it  is,  her  influence  never  was  so  great 
as  that  of  her  rival,  the  beautiful  Duchess  of  Devonshire,  whose  ex- 
ploits at  the  hustings  are  still  remembered  in  electioneering  history. 


20  The  Gordon  Book 

The  Duchess  was  not  content  with  politicians  only.  She  enter- 
tained everybody  who  was  anybody.  D'Amour  tells  an  amusing  story 
about  a  ball  she  once  gave.  She  had  the  Prince  of 
and  Royalty  Wales  (afterwards  George  IV.)  and  the  beautiful  Mrs 
Fitz  Herbert  on  her  left,  while  on  her  right  sat  the  youth- 
ful Duke  of  Orleans,  "  then  the  gayest  of  the  gay,"  but  soon,  as  Louis 
Philippe,  "  to  become  the  unhappy  victim  of  democratic  misrule." 

Methinks  I  see  the  Prince  of  Wales,  in  his  own  style  of  dignified  con- 
descension, turning  this  way  and  that,  as  he  led  the  conversation,  that  none  might 
be  overlooked  and  that  all  might  be  pleased.  On  the  occasion  alluded  to,  I 
remember  that  just  as  the  Prince  had  been  giving  way  to  his  peculiar  happy 
style  of  jocularity,  the  Duchess  remarked  that  "  whoever  should  live  to  see  it,  his 
Royal  Highness  would  make  a  singular  King."  Gathering  up  his  face  into  the 
very  picture  of  seriousness,  he  replied,  "  Pardon  me,  your  Grace  ;  I  think  the 
honour  of  England  has  been  so  degraded  of  late  that  the  crown  would  scarcely 
be  worth  the  wearing."  The  Prince  in  this  speech  alluded  to  the  peace  which 
England  had  been  forced  into  with  America  and  its  allies  [1783] ;  and  the  Duchess, 
remembering  who  sat  at  her  right  hand,  without  a  moment's  hesitation,  rejoined, 
"  And,  Sir,  pardon  me  in  turn — I  think  England,  having  had  the  magnanimity 
to  defend  herself  against  four  such  powerful  and  persevering  assailants,  and 
having  had  the  means  of  making  such  an  honourable  peace,  betokens  that  the 
honour  of  Great  Britain  was  never  more  free  from  tarnish  than  at  this  moment." 
A  murmur  of  applause  went  through  the  company,  in  which  the  Duke  of  Orleans 
joined  as  well  as  the  rest. 

Wraxall  tells  us  that  she  used  to  pass  part  of  "  almost  every  even- 
ing" in  Court,  with  the  Prince  of  Wales,  "whom  she  was  accus- 
tomed in  conversation  to  treat  with  the  utmost  freedom,  even  upon 
points  of  great  delicacy.  Her  exhortations  and  remonstrances  to 
Ministers  produced  the  desired  effect,"  and  the  Treasury  paid  the 
Prince's  debts  of  ^200,000. 

Not  many  people  know  that  it  was  the  Duchess  who  made  tartan 

popular.      According  to   D'Amour,  she  managed  to  do  this  in   1791, 

when  her  son,  the  young  Marquis  of  Huntly,  was  pre- 

How  she  made    sente(j  at  Court  on  tne  occasion  of  his  majority.      He 

Tartan  popular.  J 

appeared  in  the  full  Highland  costume  of  his  elan. 


George,  stii  and  Last  Duke  of  Gordon. 

This  picture  was  painted  by  Sir  Henry  Raeburn  and  hangs  in  Gordon  Castle.  Born  on 
February  2,  1770,  he  succeeded  his  father  in  the  Dukedom  in  1827.  By  a  curious  irony,  while  he  had 
many  military  sons,  in  the  shape  of  a  regiment,  the  Gordon  Highlanders,  which  he  raised,  he  left  no 
issue  of  his  own,  and  the  Dukedom  fell  into  abeyance  on  his  death,  May  28,  1836,  to  be  revived  in  favour 
of  his  grand  nephew,  the  present  Duke  of  Richmond  and  Gordon.  His  Marquisate  devolved  on  his 
cousin,  George,  Earl  of  Aboyne. 


The  Due  of  the  Duchess  21 

After  the  ceremony  his  mother  was  so  pleased  with  the  pattern  of  his  plaid 
that  she  sent  a  specimen  of  it  to  China  for  reproduction  in  silk.  Soon  after  the 
silk  plaid  came  back,  the  Duchess  of  Cumberland  called  on  the  Duchess  in  Pall 
Mall,  and  was  astonished  to  learn  that  her  Grace  of  Gordon  intended  to  appear 
at  Court  in  a  Gordon  tartan  dress.  "  It  may  do  for  yourself  very  well,"  quoth 
her  Grace  of  Cumberland,  doubtlessly  jealous  of  her  other  Grace's  popularity, 
"  but  it  would  not  do  for  me."  Therein,  however,  she  made  a  big  mistake,  for 
the  Duchess  of  Gordon  immediately  set  off  to  a  Spittalfields  silk  weaver  and 
ordered  a  large  quantity  of  the  tartan  to  be  woven.  She  duly  appeared  in  it  at 
the  Drawing  Room,  as  she  had  resolved,  and,  as  her  personal  appearance  was 
"  extraordinarily  fine,  and  calculated  to  show  any  dress  to  advantage,  and  her 
example  was  highly  influential,  silk  tartan,  actually,  in  a  few  days  became  the 
rage  of  all  the  fashionable  ladies  about  the  town,  even  including  the  Duchess  of 
Cumberland.  Nor  of  the  ladies  only  ;  all  the  gentlemen's  waistcoats  being 
presently  made  of  the  same  material.  So  much  was  this  silk  tartan  in  request, 
that  the  weavers  for  a  considerable  time  could  do  no  such  thing  as  finish  a  piece 
before  it  was  hurried  away  :  but  they  had  constantly  to  cut  it  out  of  the  looms 
by  piecemeal  to  supply  present  demands.  In  the  end,"  adds  this  veracious  valet, 
"  scarce  a  respectable  female  but  wore  the  tartan  waist  to  her  gown  at  least,  and 
there  was  hardly  a  waiter  at  any  inn  in  London  but  appeared  in  his  tartan  waist- 
coat." At  last  the  tartan  craze  reached  Paris,  and  the  Duchess  had  the 
gratification  of  knowing  that  she  was  the  leader  of  fashion  both  for  London  and 
the  French  metropolis,  where  tartan  is  still  very  popular. 

I   may  note  that  a   coloured   caricature   of  the   Duchess,    entitled    "  A 
Tartan  Belle,"  was  published  in  London  in  1792  by  S.  W.  Fores. 

The    Duchess  was  a  great  dancer.        Indeed,   her  service   in   this 

respect    is    said  by    her    biographer    in    Public    Characters    to     have 

diminished    the    time    and    attention     hitherto    bestowed 
The  Duchess  as  .  rp, 

a  Dancer         upon  gaming.       I  he  same  writer  notes  :— 

Among  the  external  accomplishments  on  which  she  laid  the 
greatest  stress  was  dancing,  as  contributing  to  health,  agility,  and  grace.  The 
Duchess,  who  was  and  is  an  admirable  performer,  became  more  and  more 
attached  to  Scotch  dancing,  and  the  appropriate  music,  as  being  more  conform- 
able to  the  British  character  than  French.  Under  her  patronage  the  sons  of  her 
old  protege,  Neil  Gow  [whom  she  had  first  seen  at  the  Duke  of  Atholl's],  first 
received  that  encouragement  and  attention  which,  by  making  their  merits  known, 
rendered  their  music  so  generally  attractive.  The  Duchess  observed  that  the 
Messrs.  Gow  to  the  natural  genius  of  their  father  superadded  taste  and  science, 


22  The  Gordon   Book 

and  softened  the  wild  vivacity  of  Highland  music  without  materially  deviating 
from  its  character.  She  wished  a  corresponding  improvement  might  take  place 
in  dancing.  To  effect  this  object  was  reserved  for  the  ingenious  Mr.  Jenkins. 
On  the  agility  and  accurate  measures  of  the  Highland  steps  that  gentleman 
superinduced  grace,  his  improvement  in  dancing  being  analogous  to  that  of  the 
Gows  in  ball  music.  Her  Grace  took  Mr.  Jenkins  under  her  patronage,  and  was 
first  the  means  of  that  recommendation  to  the  public  which  his  own  efforts,  and 
those  of  his  son,  improved  in  effect,  as  principle  became  ascertained  by  experi- 
ence and  art  was  perfected  by  practice.  The  character  of  that  delightful  exercise, 
as  patronised  by  the  Duchess  of  Gordon,  is  ease  without  negligence,  exactness 
without  stiffness,  elegance  and  grace  without  pomp  or  ostentation.  Her  Grace 
was  the  first  who  brought  forward  music  and  dancing  at  routs  and  thus  en- 
trenched on  the  hostile  provinces  of  gaming. 

Wraxall,  a  more  credible  authority,  bears  witness  to  the  same  fact  : — ■ 

She  first  introduced  the  custom  of  dancing  at  routs,  an  agreeable  innovation 
on  the  interminable  carding,  and,  moreover,  with  patriotic  zeal,  she  introduced 
Scotch  dancing,  till  then  unheard  of  in  the  fashionable  world.  Her  own  example, 
for  she  danced  well,  and  that  of  her  five  daughters,  who  danced  beautifully,  soon 
established  this  style  on  a  firm  footing.  Theretofore  French  dancing  only  had 
been  customary. 

1  recently  saw  a  diary  in  manuscript  in  which  it  was  stated,  under  date 
March  29,  1789,  that  at  some  ball  "Mr.  Pitt  led  the  Duchess  of 
Gordon  out  to  the  reel  dance,  at  which  sport  they  continued  till  three 
in  the  morning-.  Amongst  such  Scotch  carousings  as  these,  what  chance 
has  an  Engdishman  of  success  !"  M.  Vuillon,  in  his  History  0/  Dancing, 
remarks  that  it  was  at  the  once  famous  Almack's  that  her  Grace  intro- 
duced Scots  reels  and  jigs  into  London. 

In  the  Letters  of  Lord  Cornwallis,  reference  is  made  to  a  ball  which 
the  Duchess  gave  at  her  house  in  Piccadilly,  July  20,   1801  :— 

At  half-past  two  a  new  Scotch  dance  called  the  Barne  was  danced,  which 
afforded  considerable  amusement  from  the  spirited  way  in  which  it  was  kept  up. 
Instead  of  forming  the  circle  by  holding  hands,  it  was  done  by  laying  hold  of 
coat-tails.  Many  scenes,  highly  comic,  took  place,  which  threw  the  company  into 
such  good  humour  that  they  kept  it  up  till  six.  Lady  Heathcote  wore  a  loose 
white  gauze,  quite  aetherial. 


The  Due  of  the  Duchess  23 

Wraxall  states  that  the   Duchess  "was  greatly  admired  by  persons 
in  lower  circles  of  life,  with  whom  she  was  at  times  thrown   into  com- 
munication ;  and  this  was  in  great  measure  owing  to  her 
Her  Grace  and  .    •  •  •         1  .  ,  „      T. 

Literature.  suiting-  her  conversation  to  her  company.        Burns, 

to  whom  she  was  introduced  by  Henry  Erskine,  was 
devoted  to  her  (they  came  from  the  same  corner  of  the  country),  and 
she  declared  that,  in  all  her  experience  in  the  most  brilliant  society, 
no  conversation  had  "  ever  so  set  her  off  her  feet  "  as  that  of  the  poet. 
Sir  Walter  Scott  (with  whom  she  spent  some  days  at  Abbotsford  in 
1S02),  in  a  letter  to  Lockhart,  speaking  of  her  meeting  Burns,  says  : — 
"  I  was  told,  but  did  not  observe  it,  that  his  address  to  females  was 
extremely  deferential,  and  always  with  a  turn  cither  to  the  pathetic  or 
humorous,  which  engaged  their  attention  particularly.  I  have  heard 
the  late  Duchess  of  Gordon  remark  this."  Burns  and  William  Xicol 
paid  a  visit  to  the  Duke  and  Duchess  at  Gordon  Castle  in  September, 
1787,  and  were  enthusiastic  over  their  Graces'  cordiality.  "  The  Duke," 
he  wrote,  "  makes  one  happier  than  ever  great  man  did  :  noble,  princely, 
yet  mild  and  condescending,  and  affable,  and  gay,  and  kind.  The 
Duchess  —charming,  witty,  kind,  and  sensible.  God  bless  them  !  "  Mrs. 
Alexander  Cockburn  tells  us  that,  "  through  the  kindness  of  the  I  Hichess, 
the  poet  was  introduced  to  all  the  delights  of  the  New  Assembly  Rooms, 
where,  it  is  not  to  be  wondered  at,  he  was  not  seen  to  the  best  advan- 
tage." 

1  cannot  say  whether  the  Duchess  was  really  "  literary,"  but  she 
certainly  gathered  literary  people  round  her.  Mrs.  Grant  of  Laggan, 
who  visited  her  at  her  inn  in  Edinburgh  in  1808,  says  that  she  then 
wanted  to  be  a  patron  of  letters  :— 

Her  Grace's  present  ruling  passion  is  literature — to  be  the  arbitress  of 
literary  taste  and  the  patroness  of  genius — a  distinction  for  which  her  early  want 
of  culture  and  the  flutter  of  a  life  devoted  to  very  different  pursuits  has  rather 
disqualified  her.  Yet  she  has  strong  flashes  of  intellect,  which  are,  however,  lost 
in  a  formless  confusion  of  a  mind  ever  hurried  on  by  contending  passions  and 


24  The  Gordon   Book 

contradictory  subjects,  of  which  one  can  never  be  attained  without  the  relinquish- 
ment of  the  others.  She  reminded  me  at  present  of  what  has  been  said  of  the  old 
regime  in  France,  where,  when  they  could  no  longer  lead  up  the  dance  of  gaiety 
and  fashion,  set  up  for  beaux  esprits,  and  decided  on  the  merits  of  authors. 

Mrs.  Grant  of  Laggan  gives  a  very  interesting  picture  of  the 
Duchess's  salon  in  Edinburgh,  which  she  visited  in  the  spring  of  1809. 
Writing  to  Catherine  Fanshawe  (as  quoted  in  Mrs.  Pasteur's  Little 
Memoirs  of  the  iSt/i  Century),  she  says  : — ■ 

I  called  on  the  Duchess  of  Gordon  and  was  much  gratified  to  see  Sir  Brooke 
Boothby  [1743-1824;  he  published  a  volume  of  Fables  and  Satires  in  Edin- 
burgh during  1 809],  though  he  looked  so  feeble  and  so  dismal  that  no  one 
would  have  thought  him  just  come  from  writing  those  sorrows  sacred  to  Penelope. 
The  Duchess  said  that  on  Sunday  she  never  saw  company,  nor  played  cards,  nor 
went  out ;  in  England,  indeed,  she  did  so,  because  everyone  else  did  the  same, 
but  she  would  not  introduce  those  manners  into  this  country.  I  stared  at  these 
gradations  of  piety,  growing  warmer  as  it  came  northwards,  but  was  wise  enough 
to  stare  silently.  She  said  I  must  come  that  evening,  as  she  would  be  alone.  I 
found  Walter  Scott,  whom  I  had  never  met  before,  Lady  Keith — Johnson's 
Oueenie — and  an  English  lady,  witty  and  fashionable-looking,  who  came  and 
went  with  Mr.  Scott.  I  think  Mr.  Scott's  appearance  very  unpromising  and 
commonplace  ;  yet  though  no  gleam  of  genius  animates  his  countenance,  much 
of  it  appears  in  his  conversation,  which  is  rich,  varied,  easy,  and  animated, 
without  any  of  the  petulance  with  which  the  "  Faculty "  are  not  unjustly 
reproached. 

In  speaking  of  her  Grace  at  Edinburgh,  I  may  recall  the  story 
which  is  told  in  P'ergusson's  Henry  Erskine  and  Jus  Kinsfolk  ; — ■ 

While  living  in  George  Square,  amongst  his  neighbours  had  been  the 
Duchess  of  Gordon  and  the  Countess  of  Sutherland.  On  the  removal  of  her 
Grace  to  the  more  fashionable  New  Town,  Mr.  Erskine  is  said  to  have  made  one 
of  his  most  gallant  speeches  to  the  Duchess.  Her  Grace  had  said  to  her  friend 
that  she  regretted  having  to  leave  the  house  which  had  been  her  home  so  long, 
but  that  really  the  Old  Town  was  intolerably  dull.  On  which  Mr.  Erskine  is 
said  to  have  replied,  "  Madame,  that  is  as  if  the  sun  were  to  say,  '  It  seems  vastly 
dull  weather — I  think  I  shall  not  rise  this  morning!''  This  is  one  of  the 
incidents  which  have  been  told  as  occurring  in  England  ;  also  it  is  narrated  of 
Fox  and  the  Duchess  of  Devonshire.  It  is  left  to  the  curious  in  such  matters  to 
establish  the  correct  version  of  the  tale. 


The  Due  of  the  Duchess  25 

In  1780,   Beattie  (the  "  Minstrel  ")  addressed  some  verses  to  her 
when  sending  her  a  pen  : — 

Go  and  be  guided  by  the  brightest  eyes, 

And  to  the  softest  hand  thine  aid  impart, 
To  trace  the  fair  ideas  as  they  rise, 

Warm  from  the  purest,  gentlest,  noblest  heart 

And,  in  a  letter  addressed  to  her  Grace,  he  is  equally  lavish  of  praise, 
declaring  that  : — - 

Your  Grace's  heart  is  already  too  feelingly  alive  to  each  fine  impulse  ;  to 
you  I  would  gladly  recommend  gay  thoughts,  cheerful  looks,  and  sprightly 
company — I  might  have  said  company  without  limitation,  for  wherever  you  are 
the  company  must  be  sprightly.  I  rejoice  in  the  good  weather  and  in  the  belief 
that  it  extends  to  Glenfiddich,  where  I  pray  that  your  Grace  may  enjoy  all  the 
health  and  happiness  that  good  air,  goat's  whey,  romantic  solitude,  and  the 
society  of  the  loveliest  children  in  the  world  can  bestow. 

Samuel  Rogers,  himself  the  very  prince  of  literary  hosts,  recorded 
in  his  Tabic  Talk  : — ■ 

I  knew  Jane,  Duchess  of  Gordon,  intimately,  and  many  pleasant  hours  have  I 
passed  in  her  society.  She  used  to  say,  "  I  have  been  acquainted  with  David 
Hume  and  William  Pitt,  and  therefore  I  am  not  afraid  to  converse  with  anybody." 

Curiously  enough,  so  far  as  I  know,  she  never  met  Lord  Byron,  although 
they  once  nearly  encountered  one  another.  Writing  to  Miss  Paget, 
August  2,  1807,  Byron  says  : — • 

My  cousin,  Lord  Alexander  Gordon  [who  died  January  8,  1808],  told  me 
his  mother,  her  Grace  of  Gordon,  requested  he  would  introduce  my  Poetical 
Lordship  to  her  Highness,  as  she  had  bought  my  volume,  admired  it  exceedingly 
with  the  rest  of  the  fashionable  world,  and  wished  to  claim  relationship  with  the 
author.  I  was  unluckily  engaged  on  an  excursion  for  some  days  afterwards  :  and 
as  the  Duchess  was  on  the  eve  of  departing  for  Scotland,  I  have  postponed  my 
introduction  till  the  winter,  when  I  shall  favour  the  lady,  whose  taste  I  shall  not 
dispute,  with  my  most  sublime  and  edifying  conversation.  She  is  now  in  the 
Highlands,  and  Alexander  took  his  departure  a  few  days  afterwards  for  the  same 
blessed  seat  of  "  dark  rolling  waves." 


26  The  Gordon  Book 

Mr.  D'Amour,  who  never  misses  a  detail,  tells  us  that  her  Grace's 

life  at  Gordon  Castle  was  "  far  from  the  character  of  monotonous  dul- 

ness."      When  the  London  season  was  over,  the  Duchess's 

„     .      _    ,,       goods  and  chattels  were  sent  north  bv  a  coasting  vessel, 
Gordon  Castle       *  /...&» 

while  she  travelled,  of  course,  by  coach.  D'Amour  tells 
a  story  of  how  Dundas  once  went  north  to  visit  her  Grace,  but  was 
summoned  back  to  town  by  a  King's  Messenger,  who  handed  him  a 
despatch,  just  as  the  Duchess  met  him.  She  was  ''sadly  chagrined  at 
the  untoward  circumstance  ;  but,  pleasantly  pretending  to  suspect 
duplicity,  demanded  to  see  the  despatches  herself.  A  deal  of  good- 
humoured  raillery  passed  between  the  parties,  which  ended  in  the 
Duchess  being  shown  the  despatch  which  had  been  sent  by  Mr.  Pitt." 
D'Amour  afterwards  learned  from  his  mistress  that  it  was  announced 
that  the  Treaty  of  Commerce  was  being  finally  settled  between  France 
and  England,  and  that  Dundas  must  return.  Pitt,  however,  promised 
that  he  would  work  night  and  day  to  enable  Dundas  to  return  north. 
She  had  a  theatre  at  Gordon  Castle,  where  she  got  up  theatricals. 
On  November  10,  1793,  the  play  No  Song  No  Supper  was  given  :— 

Robin,  -  -  -         -         -Duke  of  Gordon. 

Endless,  -  -  Marquis  of  Huntly. 

Frederick,  -  -  -         -  Mr.  Gordon. 

William,  -  Sir  Robert  Sinclair. 

Thomas,  -  -  -         -         -     Mr.  Gordon. 

DorotJiy,  -  -  -          -     Lady  Louise  Gordon. 

Louise,  -  Lady  Madeline  Sinclair. 

Margaretta,  -  Lady  Susan  Gordon. 

Nelly,     -  -  -  Duchess  of  Gordon. 

The  Duchess,  I  may  note,  used  to  have  a  box  at  the  opera,  and  the 
Times  thought  it  worth  its  while  to  chronicle  that,  at  the  performance 
of  the  opera  Rindldo  oV Asti,  on  March  20,  1802,  the  Duchess  "sat  in 
her  box  for  the  first  time  this  season." 

Pryse   Gordon   describes   a    bet  I   masque  which    was    given    in   the 
house  of  William  Abercromby  of  Glassaugh,  at  Banff,  in   1  779  :- 


Alexander,  4111  Duke  of  Gordon. 

This  picture  was  painted  by  Sir  Henry  Raebum  (1756-1823),  and  hangs  in  Gordon  Castle.  The 
4th  Duke  was  born  1743,  and  succeeded  to  the  Dukedom  on  the  death  of  his  father  in  175-'.  He 
married  Jane  Maxwell  in  1767.  It  was  he  who  caused  Gordon  Castle  to  be  rebuilt.  He  died  in  1S27. 
His  Grace  wrote  the  comic  song,   ''There's  cauld  kail  in  Aberdeen." 


The  Due  of  the  Duchess  27 

I  sat  up  a  whole  night  pasting  cartridge  paper  and  noses  on  the  wig  blocks 
of  our  citizen  and  barber.  As  our  models  were  not  very  elegant,  a  great  deal  was 
left  to  the  taste  of  the  artists.  I  had  the  luck  of  making  one  so  grotesque  that  it 
was  selected  by  my  chief  for  the  character  of  a  French  cook,  which  his  Grace 
personated  with  great  humour,  after  having  appeared  as  the  Baronet  of 
Birkenbog  without  being  detected.  The  Duke  had  borrowed  Sir  Robert's  hat 
and  wig,  of  a  very  particular  cut,  as  well  as  a  suit  of  his  apparel,  and  was  so 
admirably  disguised  that,  as  he  walked  from  the  Inn  to  the  scene  of  action,  a 
few  hundred  yards,  the  populace,  who  had  turned  out  to  see  the  procession, 
actually  believed  they  saw  the  knight  in  propria  persona,  and  exclaimed — "Look 
at  our  ain  Sir  Robert,  he  does'na  fash  wi'  a  Sedan,  honest  man  !  "  The  Duchess 
was  first  a  flower  girl,  and  changed  her  costume  before  supper  for  a  superb  court 
dress  ;  she  was  unmasked,  and  glittering  in  diamonds.  ...  I  was  permitted 
to  assist  at  the  ball,  and  played  my  part  as  well  as  I  could  in  the  character  of  a 
country  lad  looking  for  a  footboy's  place.  I  even  ventured  to  address  the 
Duchess  as  a  candidate,  and  she  gave  me  half-a-crown  for  arles.  Everyone,  both 
young  and  old,  exerted  themselves  to  keep  up  the  spirit  of  the  party,  and  it  went 
off  with  great  good  humour,  producing  laughter,  hilarity,  and  sallies  of  wit  and 
repartee.  I  have  heard  the  Duchess  since  say  that  she  never  passed  a  happier 
evening.     When  people  are  determined  to  be  pleased,  the  task  is  very  easy. 

In  March,  1899,  Lady  Clementine  Hay  appeared  at  Lady  Tweed- 
mouth's  ball  in  Edinburgh,  got  up  as  her  ancestress,  the  Duchess  of 
Gordon,  with  the  historic  red  feather  bonnet  in  which  her  Grace  is 
said  to  have  raised  the  Gordon  Highlanders. 

The  Duchess  made  every  place  she  visited  ring-  with  her  vivacity. 

Thus,   when   she   was   in    Aberdeen    in   October,    1789,  as  recorded    in 

Turves  Antiquarian  Gleanings,  there  were  great  doings. 

TheA duchess  in    The   town   was   fu]1  of  l(  nol)ilitv   and  gentry,"  and  the 

Aberdeen.  J  &  J ' 

lively  Duchess  "at  the  head  of  the  whole  company,  who 

pay  their  devoirs  to  her." 

Every  day  the  company  have  been  engaged  in  the  Links  at  wicket — the 
Duchess  of  Gordon  and  Lady  Charlotte  Lennox  all  the  time  from  twelve  o'clock 
till  five  in  the  afternoon  ;  man}'  ladies  in  their  coaches,  besides  gentlemen  on 
horseback  leaping  over  a  five-barred  gate.  I  suppose  a  great  sum  will  be  spent. 
At  the  public  fare  and  for  private  lodgings  I  never  remember  such  a  full  town 
before.  Colonel  Lennox  is  a  genteel  man,  and  Lady  Charlotte  Lennox  looks 
very  well.     The  Duchess  has  a  cheerful  countenance  and  full  of  vivacity. 


28  The  Gordon  Book 

The  Duchess  did  exceedingly  well  by  her  daughters,   who   made 

great  matches,  as  follows  :-- 

Lady  Charlotte,  married  in  1789  Charles  Lennox,  afterwards  4th 
Her  Daughters. 

Duke  of  Richmond. 

Lady  Madeline,  married   (1)  in    1789  Sir  Robert  Sinclair,  and  (2)  Charles 

Fysche  Palmer. 

Lady  Susan,  married  the  5th  Duke  of  Manchester. 

Lady  Louise,  married  the  1st  Marquis  Cornvvallis. 

Lady  Georgiana,  married  the  Duke  of  Bedford. 

Wraxall,  writing  of  these  marriages,  says  : — ■ 

In  her  daughters  centred  principally  her  ambitious  cares.  For  their  eleva- 
tion no  sacrifices  appeared  to  her  to  be  too  great,  no  exertions  too  laborious,  no 
renunciations  too  severe.  It  would,  indeed,  be  vain  to  seek  for  any  other  instance 
in  our  history  of  a  woman  who  has  allied  three  of  her  five  daughters  to  English 
Dukes  and  the  fourth  to  a  Marquis. 

Her  grandson,  Lord  William  Pitt  Lennox — named  after  her  old  friend 
Pitt — has  left  it  on  record  that  the  Duchess's  personal  grace  was  trans- 
mitted, "  apparently  with  no  loss  to  herself/'  to  her  daughters,  "who 
became  severally  the  belles  of  the  season  "  : — 

Indeed  for  many  years  after  the  single  blessedness  of  their  career  had 
terminated,  when  they  appeared  together  at  the  opera  or  theatre,  in  the  same 
box  with  their  mother,  which  was  frequently  the  case,  their  extraordinary 
attractiveness  became  the  source  of  universal  admiration. 

The  Duchess's  life  at  Kinrara  has  been  charmingly  pictured  for  us 

by  more  than  one  gossip  who  had  the  opportunity  of  seeing  it.      Thus, 

Miss   Elizabeth  Grant  of  Rothiemurcus,  afterwards  Mrs. 

At  Kinrara.  . 

Smith  of  Baltiboys,  grows  eloquent  (see  The  Memoirs  of 
a  Highland  Lady,  1797- 1830,  edited  by  Lady  Strachey).      She  says  : — 

The  Duchess  inhabited  the  real  old  farm  house  of  Kinrara,  where  she  was 
happier  and  more  agreeable  and  the  society  gathered  round  her  far  pleasanter 
than  it  ever  was  afterwards  in  the  new  cottage  villa  she  built  about  a  mile  nearer 
us  [at  Rothiemurcus].  It  was  a  sort  of  backwoods  life,  charming  to  young  people 
amid  such  scenery,  and  a  dramatic  emancipation  from  the  forms  of  society  that 
for  a  little  while  every  season  was  delightful,  particularly  as  there  was  no  real 


The  Due  of  the  Duchess  29 

roughing  in  it.  In  the  "  but  "  and  the  "  ben,"  constituting  the  small  farm  cabin  it 
was,  she  and  her  daughter  Lady  Georgina  [afterwards  Duchess  of  Bedford] 
dwelt.  By  the  help  of  white  calico,  a  little  whitewash,  a  little  paint,  and  plenty 
of  flowers,  they  made  their  apartment  quite  pretty.  What  had  been  a  kitchen 
at  one  end  of  the  house  was  elevated  by  various  contrivances  into  a  sitting-room  ; 
a  barn  was  fitted  up  into  a  barrack  for  ladies,  a  stable  for  gentlemen  ;  a  kitchen 
was  easily  formed  out  of  some  of  the  out  offices,  and  in  it,  without  his  butter, 
without  his  stove,  without  his  thousand  and  one  assistants  and  resources,  her 
French  cook  sent  up  dinners  still  talked  off  by  the  few  remaining  partakers.  The 
entrees  were  all  prepared  in  one  black  pot — a  large  potato  chaudron,  which  he  had 
ingeniously  divided  into  four  compartments  by  means  of  two  pieces  of  tin  sheet 
crossed,  the  only  inconvenience  of  this  clever  plan  being  that  the  company  had 
to  put  up  with  all  white  sauce  one  day  and  all  brown  the  next.  Her  favourite 
footman,  Lord  James,  a  very  handsome,  impudent  person,  but  an  excellent 
servant  for  that  sort  of  wild  life,  able  to  put  his  hand  to  any  work,  plays  the 
violin  remarkably  well,  and,  as  every  tenth  Highlander  at  least  plays  on  the  same 
instrument  tolerably,  there  was  no  difficulty  in  getting  up  a  highly  satisfactory 
band  on  an}'  evening  that  the  guests  were  disposed  for  dancing.  Half  the 
London  world  of  fashion,  all  the  clever  people  that  could  be  hunted  out  from  all 
parts,  all  the  north  country,  all  the  neighbourhood  from  far  and  near,  without 
regard  to  wealth  or  station,  and  all  the  kith  and  kin  of  both  Gordons  and 
Maxwells,  flocked  to  this  encampment  in  the  wilderness  during  the  fine  autumns 
to  enjoy  the  free  life,  the  pure  air,  and  the  wit  and  fun  the  Duchess  brought  with 
her  to  the  mountains. 

When  the  Duchess  had  miscalculated  her  supplies,  or  more  guests  arrived 
than  she  could  possibily  accommodate,  the  overplus,  as  a  matter  of  course,  came 
over  to  us  [that  is  to  say,  the  Grants  of  Rothiemurcus,  who  lived  at  Doune]. 
Morning,  noon,  and  night  there  was  a  coming  and  going.  All  our  spare  rooms 
were  often  filled  even  to  the  many  beds  in  the  barrack  ;  and  at  Kinrara  shakes- 
down  in  the  dining-room  and  the  sofas  in  the  drawing-room  were  constantly 
resorted  to  for  gentlemen  who  were  too  late  for  a  corner  in  the  wooden  room,  a 
building  erected  a  short  way  from  the  house  in  the  midst  of  a  birch  thicket  upon 
the  banks. 

We  [the  Grants  of  Rothiemurcus]  were  often  over  at  Kinrara,  the  Duchess 
having  perpetual  dances,  either  in  the  drawing-room  or  the  servants'  hall,  and 
my  father  [Sir  John  Peter  Grant  of  Rothiemurcus]  returning  these  entertain- 
ments in  the  same  style.  A  few  candles  lighted  up  bare  walls  at  short  warning  ; 
fiddles  and  whisky  punch  were  always  at  hand  ;  and  the  gentles  and  simples 
reeled  away  in  company  until  the  ladies  thought  the  scene  becoming  more 
boisterous  than  they  liked  remaining  in — nothing  more,  however :  a  Highlander 
never  forgets  his  place,  never  loses  his  native,  inborn  politeness,  never  presumes 


30  The  Gordon  Book 

upon  favour.  We  children  sometimes  displayed  our  accomplishments  on  these 
occasions  in  a  prominent  manner,  to  the  delight,  at  any  rate,  of  our  dancing 
master.  Lady  Jane  Montagu  [the  Duchess's  grand-daughter,  who  died  of  con- 
sumption in  1815]  was  really  clever  in  the  Gillie  Galium  and  the  Shean  Trews. 
Lord  Huntly  was  the  life  of  all  these  meetings.  He  was  young,  gay, 
handsome,  fond  of  his  mother,  and  often  with  her :  and  so  general  a  favourite 
that  all  the  people  seemed  to  wake  up  when  he  came  amongst  them. 

The  other,  and  better-known  Grant,  namely,  Mrs.  Grant  of  Laggan, 
gives  a  very  vivid  accouut,  in  Letters  from  the  Mountains,  of  the  active 
habits  of  the  Duchess  at  Kinrara  in  1798  : — ■ 

The  Duchess  of  Gordon  is  a  very  busy  farmeress  at  Kinrara.  She  rises  at 
five  in  the  morning,  bustles  incessantly,  employs  from  twenty  to  thirty  workmen 
every  day,  and  entertains  noble  travellers  from  England  in  a  house  very  little 
better  than  our  own,  but  she  is  setting  up  a  wooden  pavilion  to  see  company  in. 
Unlike  most  people  of  the  world,  the  Duchess  presented  hei  least  favour- 
able phases  to  the  public  ;  but  in  this,  her  Highland  home,  all  her  best  qualities 
were  in  action,  and  then  it  was  that  her  warm  benevolence  and  steady  friendship 
were  known  and  felt. 

The  best  description  of  Kinrara  is  that  which  was  written  many  years 
ago  by  Robert  Carruthers  : — ■ 

On  the  great  Highland  road  betwixt  Perth  and  Inverness,  about  30  miles 
from  the  latter  place  (towns  are  more  rare  here  than  trees),  we  strike  off  below 
the  Inn  at  Aviemore,  and  enter  upon  a  district  wild  and  magnificent,  yet  seldom 
trod  unless  by  anglers  and  sportsmen — those  ruthless  explorers  of  Nature's 
secret  treasures.  After  a  brief  space,  haply  not  undelighted,  we  arrive  at  Kinrara 
Cottage,  a  secluded,  romantic  retreat.  .  .  .  Built  in  the  hollow  of  the  hills, 
embosomed  in  its  native  woods,  with  its  cultured  walks,  trim  garden,  and  trailing 
vines,  Kinrara  rises  like  Paradise  in  the  wilds,  peopling  the  spot  which  but  a  few 
years  since  was  tenanted  by  the  fox  and  wild  deer,  and  resembling  rather,  with 
the  surrounding  scenery,  the  creation  of  some  eastern  tale  than  a  sober  and  living 
reality.  In  front  of  the  cottage  is  a  long  deep  vale  or  amphitheatre,  inferior 
scarcely  in  fertility  even  to  the  Vale  of  Thames,  and  washed  by  the  river  Spey, 
whose  dark  and  rapid  waters  contrast  finely  with  the  masses  of  white  pebbles 
accumulated  on  its  shores  and  the  light,  feathery  birches  that  wave  along  its 
banks.  In  the  distance  are  the  lofty  Grampians  and  Cairngorm  hills,  their  blue 
summits  undulating  against  the  clear  sky,  and  casting  their  strong  deep  shadows 
one  upon  another,  as  the  sunshine  sleeps  upon  the  mountains. 


The  Due  of  the  Duchess  31 

The  Duchess  passed  away  at  the  Pulteney  Hotel,  in  Piccadilly,  in 
April  11,  181 2,  at  the  age  of  sixty-four.      She  had  been  summoned  to 

Carlton  House  to  a  reception  given  by  the  Prince  Regent. 
Her  Death  in        C1_  , 

London.  ^ne  §ot  a  new  gown  lor  the  occasion,  and,  according  to 

the  author  of  Strathbogiana,   threw  open  her  apartments 

in  the  hotel   for  a  reception  of  her  own.      She  was  seized  with   a  bad 

cold,  and  died  in  a  few  weeks,  surrounded  by  the  members  of  her  family. 

Lady   Sarah  Lennox,  writing  of  the  event  to  her  friend    Lady    Susan 

O'Brien,  says  : — ■ 

The  poor  Duchess  of  Richmond's  mind  was  sadly  worn  out  by  a  month's 
close  attendance  in  her  mother's  melancholy  sick-chamber.  However,  she 
received  great  comfort  in  the  latter  end  by  seeing  her  mother  express  such  satis- 
faction in  having  all  her  children  round  her,  in  seeing  the  Duke  of  Gordon  very 
kind  to  her,  and  in  the  Duchess's  perfect  resignation  to  her  death,  which  took 
place  in  the  Duchess's  arms  without  the  least  struggle. 

According  to  the  Gentleman 's  Magazine,  when 

she  felt  the  approach  of  death,  she  desired  to  have  the  Sacrament  administered 
to  her  at  two  o'clock  on  the  following  morning  ;  but  afterwards,  feeling  the  rapid 
advance  of  the  moment,  which  she  contemplated  with  resignation,  she  desired  that 
she  might  partake  of  the  holy  rite  at  an  early  hour  ;  and,  accordingly,  together 
with  all  her  children,  she  received  the  Communion,  and  soon  after  breathed 
her  last. 

The  death  of  the  Duchess  came  as  a  terrible  blow  to  her  friends 

in  the  North.      Miss  Grant  of  Rothiemurcus  says  "the  whole  Highlands 

mourned  for  her,  as  with  all  her  oddities  she  was  the  soul 

How  the  North    of  our  Korthern  Society  [and]  the  life  of  all  circles  she 
Mourned  Her.  J    L         J 

entered."    Mr.  Alexander  Macpherson,  in  his  Glimpses  of 

Church  Life  in  the  Highlands,  notes  that — ■ 

Mr.  Duncan  Macpherson,  Kingussie,  the  venerable  "  Old  Banker,"  who  died 
in  Feb.,  1890,  at  the  ripe  old  age  of  91,  vividly  described  the  intense  interest 
excited  in  Badenoch  by  the  arrival  of  the  remains  of  the  Duchess  in  a  hearse 
drawn  all  the  way  from  London  by  six  jet-black  Belgian  horses.  At  Dalwhinnie, 
the  first  stage  within  the  wide  Highland  territory  then  belonging  to  the  family 


32  The  Gordon  Book 

at  which  the  general  cortege  arrived,  the  body  of  the  Duchess  lay  in  state  for  two 
days.  For  a  similar  period  it  lay  at  the  Inn,  then  at  Pitmain,  within  half-a-mile 
of  Kingussie,  and  was  subsequently  followed  by  an  immense  concourse  of 
Highland  people  to  the  resting-place  at  her  beloved  Kinrara.  The  coffin  was 
covered  with  crimson  velvet. 

The   "  venerable   Mrs.  Allardyce  of  Cromarty  "   wrote  some  affec- 
tionate verses  on  the  Duchess's  death  : — 

Fair  in  Kinrara  blooms  the  rose, 

And  softly  waves  the  weeping  willow, 
Where  beauty's  faded  charms  repose, 

And  splendour  rests  on  earth's  cold  pillow. 
Her  smile  who  sleeps  in  yonder  glade 

Could  once  awake  the  soul  to  pleasure, 
When  fashion's  airy  train  she  led, 

And  formed  the  dance's  frolic  measure. 

When  war  called  forth  our  youth  to  arms, 

Her  eye  inspired  each  martial  spirit, 
Her  heart,  too,  felt  the  Muses'  charms, 

And  gave  the  meed  to  modest  merit : 
But  now  farewell !   fair  northern  star, 

Thy  beams  no  more  shall  courts  enlighten — ■ 
No  more  lead  forth  our  youth  to  arms — 

No  more  the  rural  pastimes  brighten. 

Long,  long  thy  loss  shall  Scotia  mourn, 

Her  vales,  which  thou  wert  wont  to  gladden, 
Shall  long  look  cheerless  and  forlorn, 

And  grief  the  minstrel's  music  sadden. 
And  oft  amid  the  festive  scene, 

While  pleasure  cheats  the  midnight  pillow, 
A  sigh  shall  breathe  for  noble  Jane, 

Laid  low  beneath  Kinrara's  willow. 

The  Duchess  was  far  too  successful  in  life  not  to  have  bitter  criti- 
cisms passed  on  her.    Wraxall  specially  was  hard  ;  but  sincerer  observers 

have    praised  many  of  the   sterling  qualities    which    her 
Her  Good  Heart.  , 

Grace     possessed     in    no   mean    measure.       Thus,    Mrs. 

Grant  of  Laggan,  writing  about  her  in  the  year  1808,  says  : — 

In    one    point    she    never    varies — which    is    active,    nay,    most    industrious 


The  Due  of  the  Duchess  33 

benevolence.  Silver  and  gold  she  has  not,  but  what  she  has — her  interest,  her 
trouble,  her  exertion — she  gives  up  with  unequalled  perseverance.  She  was  at 
much  pains  to  seek  out  an  orphan,  the  son  of  a  gentleman  who  died  lately  in  the 
Highlands,  leaving  a  numerous  unprovided-for  family.  She  was  at  much  pains 
to  seek  out  this  orphan,  who  lodged  in  some  obscure  corner  of  Stirling,  as  if  he 
had  been  a  fit  match  for  her  grand-daughter  who  accompanied  her. 

How  deeply  she  cared  for  the  welfare  of  her  husband's  tenants  is 
shown  by  this  (undated)  letter,  which  is  supposed  to  have  been 
written  by  her  to  her  old  friend  Henry  Erskine,  in  whose  Life,  by 
Col.  Fergusson,  it  is  quoted  : — 

My  dear  Lord, — It  has  been  often  suggested  by  the  benevolent  and  wise 
that  some  mark  of  his  Majestie's  bounty  should  be  given  to  that  part  of  the 
kingdom  which  gave  birth  to  the  brave  42nd  and  92nd  Regiments.  Kingussie, 
my  favorite  child,  is  in  the  most  centrical  part  of  the  Highlands.  The  Duke  of 
Gordon  has  laid  out  000  (sic)  to  build  a  town  ;  and  for  years  I  have  given 
premiums  for  all  kinds  of  domestic  industry — spinning,  dyeing,  etc. — and  last 
year  had  some  hundred  specimens  of  beautiful  colours  from  the  herbs  of  the 
fields,  and  different  woollen  productions.  But  there  is  an  evil  I  cannot  remedy 
without  a  sum  of  money.  The  children  are  totally  neglected  in  body  and  mind  ; 
cold,  hunger,  and  dirt  carries  off  hundreds.  The  cow-pox  would  save  many  ; 
no  doctor  for  30  miles  makes  man}-  orphan  families.  They  say  they  may  be 
better  in  a  foreign  land,  they  cannot  be  more  wretched.  You  once  drew  tears 
from  brighter  eyes  than  mine  in  a  poem  [the  Emigrant]  you  gave  Lady  Corn- 
walks.  These  horrors  still  exist  in  the  utmost  extent— lands  raised,  and  no 
knowledge  of  agriculture  ;  of  course,  worse  than  slaves  ;  no  principle  of  action  ; 
no  care  of  their  morals  or  health.  If  any  commotion  was  to  arise,  either  from 
foreign  or  domestic  causes,  liberty — a  word  so  often  used  for  the  most  cruel 
purposes — would  soon  raise  a  flame  in  their  brave  independent  minds  that  would 
lead  to  most  fatal  consequences.  They  have  no  attachment  to  their  country, 
except  it  being  th?  spot  where  they  were  born  and  where  the  "rude  forefathers 
of  the  hamlet  sleep."  I  wish  to  add  to  the  comforts  of  the  aged  and  take  the 
children,  teach  them  to  think  right,  raise  food  for  themselves,  and  prepare  them 
to  succeed  to  their  fathers'  farms  with  knowledge  of  all  the  branches  of  farming_ 
Why  Lady  Stafford,  with  80,000  a  year,  should  get  money  to  build  harbours 
where  there  is  no  ships,  I  cannot  say.  Much  money  has  gone  to  Scotland  for 
fishing  towns,  harbours,  etc.  All  might  as  well  been  thrown  into  the  sea.  A 
healthy,  well-regulated  people  must  be  the  proud  richess  of  this  country  ;  by 
them  we  can  alone  be  defended.     Forgive  me.     Do   I   speak  to   Lord  Grenville 

5 


34  The  Gordon   Book 

I  don't  like  to  trouble  him,  though  I  know  he  would  like  to  oblige  the 
favourite  friend  of  Lord  Temple,  and  a  person  who  has  shared  many  cheerful, 
social  hours  with  him  and  the  immortal,  and  ever  to  be  regretted,  Pitt. — Adieu, 
God  bless  you. — J.  Gordon. 

The   Duchess  was  laid  to  rest  on  the  banks  of  the  Spey,  for  she 

had   chosen    a    sequestered   spot    not    far   from    Kinrara 
Her  Grave.  . 

House,   and  she    had    planted    it  out.      Her    son,    Lord 

Huntly,  planted  a  few  larch  trees  round  the  enclosure,  while  his  wife, 
who  was  so  very  different  from  the  gay  Duchess,  laid  out  a  beautiful 
shrubbery,  and  extended  the  plantation,  making  the  paths  through  it. 
The  spot  is  marked  by  a  granite  obelisk  (the  fifth  and  last  Duke  of 
Gordon),  graven  with  inscriptions  which  lorm  a  complete  genealogical 
history  of  her  descendants. 

J.   M.    Bulloch. 


/        -  \ 


s  / 

K«^ 


Lady  Henrietta  Mordaunt,  Wife  of  the  2nd  Duke  of  Gordon. 

This  is  a  reproduction  of  Sir  Peter  Lely's  portrait  of  the  Duchess  now  in  Gordon  Castle.  Lady 
Henrietta  Mordaunt,  who  was  the  daughter  of  Charles,  the  famous  Karl  of  Peterborough  (by  Carey, 
daughter  of  Sir  Alexander  Fraser  of  Durris),  married  Alexander,  2nd  Duke  of  Gordon  (then  Marquis  ot 
Huntly)  in  1706.  The  Duke  died  in  [728.  His  widow  survived  him  till  1760.  She  had  four  sons 
and  seven  daughters,  and  brought  them  up  as  Protestants. 


Zhe  HHicbess  of  IRicbmonb 

anfc  tbe 

"  Waterloo "  Ball. 


I  'HE  Peerage  has  been  described  by  an  unfortunate  wit  as  the  best 
thing-  the  English  people  have  done  in  the  way  of  fiction  ;  but  it 
may  be  questioned  whether  fiction  has  anything  to  equal  the  great  good 
fortune  that  befell  Jane  Maxwell's  daughters.  Three  of  the  five  be- 
came Duchesses,  one  was  a  Marchioness.  The  fifth  alone,  after  a  brief 
period  of  married  happiness  with  a  Scots  baronet,  contented  herself  with 
a  forgotten  Commoner.  The  suggestion  of  the  contemporary  gossips 
that  the  Duchess  of  Gordon  was  merely  a  clever  intriguer  will  not 
explain  the  luck  of  her  daughters.  The  fact  is  that  the  girls  were 
not  only  handsome  ;  they  were  clever.  Indeed,  it  would  have  been 
little  short  of  a  miracle  if  so  brilliant  a  woman  as  Jane  Maxwell  had 
managed  not  to  have  some  clever  children.  Her  brains  were  inherited 
by  her  daughters  (to  the  exclusion  of  her  sons)  ;  most  of  all,  perhaps, 
by  the  eldest,  Lady  Charlotte  Gordon,  who  immortalised  herself  as  the 
hostess  of  the  historic  ball  at  Brussels,  from  which  Wellington  set  forth 
to  fight  the  battles  of  Ouatre  Bras  and  Waterloo.  Her  distant  kinsman, 
Byron's  verses  alone  would  make  her  famous  : — ■         A  A  ^^f^*^^ 

There  was  a  sound  of  revelry  by  night, 

And  Belgium's  capital  had  gather'd  then 
Her  beauty  and  her  chivalry,  and  bright 

The  lamps  shone  o'er  fair  women  and  brave  men  ; 
A  thousand  hearts  beat  happily, 

And  all  went  merrily  as  a  marriage  bell. 
Lady  Charlotte  was  the  firstborn  of  Jane  Maxwell.  She  first  saw  the 
light  at  Gordon  Castle  on  September  20th,  1  768,  and  she  was  married 
there  under  romantic  circumstances,  almost  on  her  twenty-first  birth- 
day, namely,  September  6th,  1789.  Though  she  was  eldest,  Lady 
Charlotte  was  not  the  first  of  the  familv  to  <>o  to  the  altar.      Her  sister 


36  The  Gordon  Book 

Madeline  had  been  married  (at  the  age  of  seventeen)  the  previous  April 
to  Sir  Robert  Sinclair  of  Stevenson  ;  but  the  example  Lady  Charlotte 
set  of  making  a  great  alliance  was  followed  by  her  three  sisters.  Not  that 
her  choice,  Charles  Lennox,  seemed  at  first  a  great  match,  for  at  the  time 
of  his  marriage  he  was  two  removes  from  the  Dukedom  of  Richmond, 
his  uncle,  the  third  duke,  and  his  father,  Lord  George  Henry  Lennox, 
barring  the  way.  But  the  handsome  young  man  had  already  cut  a  great, 
rather  a  notorious,  figure  in  the  world  by  fighting  a  duel  with  a  Prince 
of  the  Blood. 

Before  going  into  that,  I  should  note  that  the  houses  of  Lennox 
and  Gordon  were  not  unacquainted.  When  Lady  Charlotte  was  about 
three  months  old,  her  uncle,  Lord  William  Gordon,  had  astonished  the 
world  of  fashion  by  running  off  with  Lady  Sarah  Bunbury,  who  was  the 
aunt  of  Charles  Lennox,  and  who  became  the  mother  of  the  distinguished 
historians,  the  Napiers.  Charles  Lennox  was  born  in  Scotland.  His 
mother  was  a  Scot,  Lady  Louise  Kerr,  daughter  of  the  fourth  Marquis 
of  Lothian  ;  and  his  uncle,  the  Duke,  had  married  the  granddaughter 
of  the  fourth  Duke  of  Argyll. 

Charles  Lennox,  I  say,  had  become  famous  by  fighting  a  duel  with 

a  Prince  ol  the   Blood,  his  antagonist  being  no  less  a  personage  than 

His  Royal  Highness  the  Duke  of  York,  second  son  of  the 

Lennox's  Duel      c  •  n  t  t  t  1  1         r  1    x       r\ 

■.4-u  +u    r»  •  Sovereign,   George    111.,  and   uncle  01  our  late    Oueen. 

with  the  Prince.  &    '  &  ~ 

This  historic  combat  has  often   been   described,  notably 

by  Richmond's  own  son,  Lord  William  Pitt  Lennox  (the  "  Lord  Prima 
Donna"  of  Vivian  Grey),  who  wrote  a  most  entertaining  volume,  Fifty 
Years  of  Biographical  Reminiscences.  Lennox  and  the  Prince  were 
both  officers  in  the  Coldstream  Guards,  for  the  Prince  had  succeeded 
Lennox's  grandfather,  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  as  colonel  in  1784.  The 
combat  came  off  at  Wimbledon  Common  on  May  26th,  1789.  Curiously 
enough,  it  was  on  May  26th  (1867)  that  the  future  Duchess  of  York, 
now  Princess  of  Wales,  was  born.  The  trouble  arose  over  Mr.  Pitt,  the 
great  friend  of    Lennox's   future  mother-in-law,  the  Duchess  of  Gordon. 


The  Duchess  of  Richmond  and  the  Waterloo  Ball  37 

and  the  name-father  of  Lennox's  son-to-be,  Lord  William  Lennox. 
Lennox,  in  a  moment  of  forgetfulness,  proposed  the  health  of  Mr.  Pitt 
(who  was  then  opposed  to  York)  at  a  dinner  party  given  by  the  Prince 
of  Wales  at  Carlton  House,  which  has  long  since  vanished.  Angry 
words  arose,  though  the  good  sense  of  the  company  allowed  the  matter  to 
drop.  Then  the  gossips  brought  it  all  up  again  by  whispering  that  the 
Duke  of  York  had  commented  in  his  club  severely  on  the  conduct  of 
Lennox,  who  addressed  the  Duke  on  parade,  "desiring  to  know  what 
were  the  words  that  had  been  applied  to  him,  and  by  whom  spoken." 
His  Royal  Highness  simply  ordered  Lennox  to  his  post.  Parade  over, 
the  Duke  went  to  the  orderly-room  and  informed  Lennox,  in  the  presence 
ol  all  the  other  officers,  that  he  desired  to  receive  no  protection  from  his 
position  as  a  Prince  of  the  Blood  or  his  station  as  commanding  officer. 
"  When  not  on  duty,"  he  said,  "  I  wear  a  brown  coat,  and  have  none  of 
the  paraphernalia  or  rank  ;  neither  shall  the  position  which  I  hold  in 
the  army  exempt  me  from  any  obligation  which  I  may  possibly  owe  as 
private  gentleman."  Lennox  immediately  sent  a  letter  to  each  of  the 
members  of  d'Aubigny's  Club,  asking  for  information  about  the  Duke's 
alleged  criticisms.  None  of  the  members,  however,  replied,  and  the 
Duke  declined  any  further  explanation.  Lennox  then  called  upon  him 
for  the  satisfaction  due  from  one  gentleman  to  another,  and  His  Royal 
Highness  at  once  waived  all  personal  distinctions,  and  consented  to  give 
Lennox  the  satisfaction  required.  The  meeting  took  place  on  Wimble- 
don Common  on  May  26th  (1789)  :— 

Lord  Rawdon  accompanied  the  Duke,  and  Lord  Winchilsea,  who  himself 
figures  in  more  than  one  "  affair  of  honour,"  acted  as  second  to  Lennox.  The 
ground  was  measured  for  twelve  paces.  The  signal  being  given,  Lennox  fired, 
and  the  ball  grazed  his  Royal  Highness's  curl,  but  the  Duke  of  York  did  not  fire. 
The  Duke,  moreover,  said  he  had  no  intention  of  firing  ;  he  had  come,  as  Colonel 
Lennox  desired,  to  give  him  satisfaction,  but  had  no  animosity  against  him. 
Lennox  pressed  that  his  Royal  Highness  should  fire,  which  was  declined.  Lord 
Winchilsea,  on  behalf  of  his  friend,  then  went  up  to  the  Duke,  and  expressed  a 
hope  that  his  Royal  Highness  would  have  no  objection  in  saying  that  he  con- 


38  The  Gordon  Book 

sidered  Colonel  Lennox  as  a  man  of  honour  and  courage.  But  the  Duke  replied 
that  he  would  say  nothing ;  he  had  come  out  to  give  Lieutenant-Colonel  Lennox 
satisfaction  and  did  not  mean  to  fire  at  him.  If  he  was  not  satisfied  he  might 
fire  again.  Lennox  said  that  was  impossible.  Both  parties  then  left  the  ground. 
The  Duke  had  been  so  anxious  to  keep  this  affair  a  secret  from  the  Prince  of 
Wales,  that  he  had  left  his  own  hat  at  Carlton  House  and  took  one  belonging  to 
a  member  of  the  household  instead  ;  but  notwithstanding  the  precaution  taken, 
the  Prince  found  the  matter  out,  and  showed  his  displeasure  in  a  marked  manner. 

The  fellow-officers  of  the  combatants  met  a  few  days  later  and 
passed  a  resolution  that  Lennox  had  "  behaved  with  courage,  but,  from 
the  peculiarities  of  the  circumstances,  not  with  judgment.'1  So  Lennox 
exchanged  with  Lord  Strathnairn  his  captaincy  in  the  Guards  for  the 
colonelcy  with  the  35th  Foot,  now  the  1st  Battalion  of  the  Royal  Sussex 
Regiment,  which  was  then  stationed  in  Edinburgh.  Previous  to  joining 
the  regiment, however,  he  fought  a  second  duel,  on  July  3rd,  on  Uxbridge 
Road,  London,  with  an  eccentric  Irishman,  the  son  of  Deane  (not  Dean) 
Swift,  who  had  ventured  to  criticise  his  conduct.  Swift  was  wounded, 
but  he  managed  to  live  long  enough  to  hear  of  the  fame  which  his 
rival  gained  as   the   host  at  the  famous   Waterloo  ball. 

Lennox  himself,  I  may  note,  attended  the  birthday  ball  held  in 
St.  James's  in  honour  of  the  birthday  of  the  Prince  of  Wales  (August 
1  2th,  1789).      It  is  told  of  him  : — 

He  stood  up  in  the  country  dance  with  Lady  Catherine  Barnard  ;  the  Prince 
of  Wales,  who  danced  with  his  sister  the  Princess  Royal,  happened  to  be  the 
next  couple.  His  Royal  Highness  paused,  gave  the  Colonel  a  look,  and  taking 
his  sister's  hand,  led  her  to  the  bottom  of  the  dance.  The  Duke  of  Clarence 
followed  his  example,  but  the  Duke  of  York  made  no  distinction  between  his  late 
adversary  and  other  gentlemen  present.  When  the  Colonel  and  his  partner  had 
danced  down  the  set,  the  Prince  of  Wales,  again  taking  his  partner's  hand,  led 
her  to  a  seat.  The  Queen,  noticing  something  was  amiss,  went  up  to  the  Prince, 
saying:  "You  are  heated,  sir,  and  tired;  I  had  better  leave  the  apartment  and 
put  an  end  to  the  dance."  "  I  am  heated,"  replied  the  Prince,  "  and  tired,  not 
with  dancing,  but  with  a  portion  of  the  company."  And  then  added  :  "  I  certainly 
never  will  countenance  an  insult  offered  to  my  family."  The  next  day  the  First 
Gentleman  in  Europe  sent  a  very  necessary  apology  to  Lady  Catherine  Barnard, 


The  Duchess  of  Richmond  and  the  Waterloo  Ball 


39 


in  which  he  expressed  his  regret  that  he  should  have  caused  her  a  moment's 
embarrassment. 

By  the  time  Lennox  had  reached  Edinburgh  to  join  his  regiment, 
he  had  become  a  person  of  much  importance,  for  never  before  had  a  sub- 
ject of  the  realm  called  out  a  Prince  of  the  Blood.  Edinburgh  Castle 
was  illuminated  in  his  honour  ;  he  was  presented  with  the  freedom  of 
the  city,  and  elected  an  honorary  member  of  the  Corporation  of  Gold- 
smiths. He  became  immensely  popular  with  the  soldiers  by  playing 
cricket  with  them — a  then  unknown  act  of  condescension  ;  and  his 
popularity  increased  by  his  romantic  marriage  with  the  Lady  Charlotte. 
According-  to  M.  Mathias  D'Amour,  the  Duchess  of  Gordon's 
loquacious  valet,  the  marriage  of  Charles  Lennox  and  Lady  Charlotte 
T.     n         ..     Gordon,    who   was   his  junior  by  four  years,   took  place 

The  Romantic  J  J  3  '  r  "^ 

Marriage  in      (September  6th,    1789)   in   the    Duchess's   best  dressing- 
Gordon  Castle.  ^       ,         . ,       ,  „ ,  . 

room  at  Gordon  Castle.      D  Amour  says  : — 

Before  we  left  London,  as  I  learned  afterwards,  the  Duchess  of  Gordon  had 
sent  orders  to  Gordon  Castle  confidentially  concerning  the  marriage  ceremony. 
It  was  arranged  that  the  housekeeper  should  have  a  certain  clergyman  in 
attendance  when  we  arrived.  The  ceremony  took  place  in  the  Duchess's  best 
dressing  room.  The  Duke  was  not  at  home.  Nobody  in  the  house  but  the 
Duchess  and  two  women-servants,  besides  the  immediate  parties,  knew  of  the 
wedding,  not  even  the  Marquis  of  Huntly,  Lady  Charlotte's  brother,  till  the 
third  day  after.  The  reason,  I  believe,  was  the  desire  to  avoid  parade.  On  the 
morning  of  the  third  day  the  Duchess  informed  her  son,  the  Marquis  of  Huntly, 
of  the  event.  As  a  great  number  of  the  neighbouring  gentry,  according  to 
custom  had  assembled  to  welcome  the  arrival  of  the  family  into  the  north,  the 
young  Marquis  was  very  desirous  of  being  himself  the  instrument  to  announce 
the  news.  Accordingly,  after  dinner  was  over,  and  the  ladies  had  retired,  the 
Marquis,  archly  addressing  Colonel  Lennox,  said,  "  Colonel,  allow  us  to  drink 
Charlotte's  health  in  style."  "  Stay,"  said  the  Colonel,  "  let  us  first  get  her 
Grace's  leave."  He  directly  left  the  room  and,  returning  in  a  short  time, 
announced  to  the  young  Marquis  that  "  the  Duchess  gave  consent."  "  Then," 
said  the  Marquis,  "  let  it  be  in  bumpers."  "  Nay,"  said  the  Colonel,  "  let  us  have 
bottles,  and  give  me  two."  So  said,  so  done.  Each  gentleman  had  a  bottle  set 
before  him,  with  the  cork  ready  drawn,  and  Colonel  Lennox  two  as  he  had 
desired.     The   Colonel  then   rose  from   his   seat,   and   gave   in   a  bold   and   un 


4<d  The  Gordon  Book 

faltering  voice,  "  Lady  Charlotte  Lennox."  A  burst  of  astonishment  and 
applause  was  the  consequence.  The  servants  in  waiting  directly  communicated 
it  to  those  without,  and  every  part  of  the  house  literally  rang  with  the  news  as 
u  flew  from  room  to  room.  I  believe  every  man  at  the  table  drank  his  bottle  of 
wine  in  due  style,  and  the  bridegroom  his  two.  As  the  bottles  were  emptied  they 
laid  them  on  the  table,  each  one  with  its  neck  to  a  common  centre,  and  thus  made 
the  form  of  a  star  in  honour  of  the  ceremony,  which  remained  till  next  day. 

Lennox   succeeded  to  the  Dukedom  on  December  29th,   1806,  the 

day  when  his  uncle,    the  third   Duke,  died   without  leaving  issue  —his 

father,  Lord  George  Lennox,  passed  away,  in  the  previ- 

The  Duke's     Qus  year       ]n   fae  meantime,  Lennox  had  served  in  the 

Career.  J 

Leeward  Islands  in  1795  (in  which  year  he  was  A.  D.C. 
to  the  King)  ;  and  he  had  represented  Sussex  in  Parliament  for  sixteen 
years,  1790-1806.  He  was  Lord- Lieutenant  of  Ireland  1807-18  13,  and 
became  Governor  of  Plymouth  in  18 14.  It  may  be  mentioned  that 
his  London  house,  Richmond  House,  Whitehall,  where  his  eldest 
son  was  born,  was  burned  clown  on  December  21st,  1 79 1 ,  just  four 
months  after  the  latter's  birth. 

The  most  notable  incident  in  the   Duchess  of  Richmond's  career 
occurred  in    1815,   in    the  shape  of  the  famous  ball   which  she  gave  at 

Brussels  on  the  eve  of  Waterloo.      The  Duchess  was  a 
The  Waterloo   most  appropriate   hostess   for   the   soldier.      Her   mother 

Ball.  rr      r 

had  organised  the  Gordon  Highlanders,  her  two  brothers 
had  been  in  the  army,  her  husband  wTas  a  soldier.  One  son,  Lord 
March  (who  had  been  wounded  at  Orthez  in  18 13),  was  on  the 
Prince  of  Orange's  staff.  Another,  Lord  George  Lennox,  was  in  the 
Duke's,  and  a  third  was  in  the  Blues.  A  great  deal  of  nonsense  has 
been  written  about  the  ball,  and  probably  the  exact  truth  will  never 
be  known.  For  instance,  the  late  Sir  William  Fraser,  who  wrote  a 
pamphlet  (now  very  rare)  on  the  battle,  declares  that  the  ball-room 
was  on  the  first-floor,  and  that  the  Duke  of  Richmond's  house  stood  in 
the  Rue  de  la  Blanchisserie.  The  site  is  now  covered  by  the  large 
Hospital  of  the  Nursing  Sisters  of  the  Order  of  St  Augustine,  while  the 


The  Duchess  of  Richmond  and  the  Waterloo  Ball  41 

room  itself  is  used  as  the  granary  of  a  brewery.  The  ball-room,  which 
was  in  existence  in  1888,  was  120  feet  long  by  34  feet  broad  and  13 
feet  high,  and  was  capable  of  holding  400  people.  ( )n  the  other  hand, 
the  Duchess's  daughter,  Georgiana,  who  became  Lady  de  Ros,  and 
who  died  in  1891,  at  the  age  of  96,  gives  a  different  version  in  the 
charming  reminiscences  which  were  published  in  Murray's  Magazine. 
Lady  Georgiana,  who  was  17  years  old  when  the  battle  was  fought, 
had  been  a  great  favourite  with  the  Iron  Duke,  a  very  old  friend  of 
her  family.  He  had  known  them  in  their  home  in  Sussex,  where  he 
commanded  a  brigade,  and  he  had  been  brought  more  closely  into 
contact  with  the  Lennoxes  when  he  was  Secretary  at  the  time  of  the 
Duke  of  Richmond's  Lord-Lieutenancy.  Wellington  took  a  great 
interest  in  Richmond's  third  daughter,  Georgiana.  As  a  child  of  twelve 
she  used  to  ride  with  the  Iron  Duke  when  he  went  out  of  Viceregal 
Lodge  into  Phoenix  Park  to  the  Dublin  Gate,  where  his  offices  were  ; 
and  Lady  Georgiana  was  a  prominent  figure  at  all  reviews.  Indeed, 
she  was  a  persona  rratissima  with  Wellington.  Thus,  one  dav  shortlv 
before  the  battle,  the  officers  wanted  an  excursion  from  Brussels,  and 
deputed  Lady  Georgiana  to  ask  the  Duke,  and,  but  for  the  strength  of 
the  French  outposts,  he  would  have  acceded  to  her  request.  Well, 
then,  Lady  Georgiana  says  in  her  reminiscences  that  the  historic  ball- 
room was  on  the  ground  Moor,  and  it  was  lent  to  the  Duke  by  a  coach- 
builder.  The  Duke's  house,  she  says,  was  really  No.  9  Rue  de  Cendres, 
Boulevard  Botanique,  near  the  Porte  de  Cologne.  On  this  point  she  is 
quite  explicit : — 

My  mother's  famous  ball  took  place  in  a  large  room  on  the  ground  floor  on 
the  left  of  the  entrance,  connected  with  the  rest  of  the  house  by  an  ante-room. 
It  had  been  used  by  a  coachbuilder,  from  whom  the  house  was  hired,  to  put 
carriages  in,  but  was  papered  before  we  came  there — a  trellis  pattern  with 
roses.  My  sisters  and  I  used  it  as  a  schoolroom,  and  used  to  play  battledore 
and  shuttlecock  there  on  a  wet  day. 

Lady  de  Ros  says  there  were  175  invitations.      Sir  William  Fraser  says 
6 


42  The  Gordon  Book 

there  were  200  guests  and  50  ladies.  Among  those  present  were  the 
Prince  of  Orange,  Prince  Ferdinand  of  Orange,  the  Duke  of  Brunswick, 
the  Duke  of  Aremberg,  whose  eye  had  been  accidentally  destroyed  by 
Sir  William  Gordon,  a  diplomat,  in  1775;  the  Hon.  John  Gordon 
(afterwards  Admiral)  ;  and  the  Hon.  Sir  Alexander  Gordon,  who  fell 
in  the  battle,  grandsons  of  the  third  Earl  of  Aberdeen.  Among  the 
other  guests  was  Lady  Elizabeth  Conyngham,  who,  in  1826  married 
the  father  of  the  present  Marquis  of  Huntly  (by  whom  she  had  no 
issue).  It  is  difficult  now  to  say  how  many  of  the  Duchess's  own 
daughters  attended.  Tradition,  for  instance,  declares  that  the  younger 
daughter  Louisa,  who  married  Mr.  Tighe,  and  died  in  Ireland  in  March, 
1900,  at  the  age  of  97,  buckled  on  Wellington's  sword.  Lady  Louisa 
wrote  to  Colonel  Greenhill  Gardyne,  the  historian  of  the  Gordon 
Highlanders  : — ■ 

I  well  remember  the  Gordon  Highlanders  dancing  reels  at  the  ball.  My 
mother  thought  it  would  interest  foreigners  to  see  them,  which  it  did.  I  re- 
member hearing  that  some  of  the  poor  men  who  danced  in  our  house  died  at 
Waterloo.     There  was  quite  a  crowd  to  look  at  the  Scotch  dancers. 

The  ball  was  certainly  a  very  brilliant  affair.  One  of  the  best  descrip- 
tions of  it  was  given  in  the  Cornhill  Magazine  a  tew  years  ago  : — ■ 

On  Thursday,  the  15th  of  June,  we  went  to  a  great  ball  that  the  Duchess  of 
Richmond  gave,  at  which  we  expected  to  see,  from  generals  down  to  ensigns,  all 
the  military  men,  who,  with  their  regiments,  had  been  for  some  time  quartered 
from  18  to  30  miles  from  this  town,  and,  consequently,  so  much  nearer  the 
frontiers  ;  nor  were  we  disappointed — with  the  exception  of  three  generals,  every 
officer  high  in  the  army  was  to  be  there  seen.  Though  for  nearly  10  weeks  we 
had  been  daily  expecting  the  arrival  of  the  French  troops  on  the  frontiers,  and 
had  rather  been  wondering  at  their  delay,  yet  when,  on  our  arrival  at  the  ball  we 
were  told  that  the  troops  had  orders  to  march  at  three  in  the  morning,  and  that 
every  officer  must  join  his  regiment  by  that  time,  as  the  French  were  advancing, 
you  cannot  possibly  picture  to  yourself  the  dismay  and  consternation  that 
appeared  on  every  face.  Those  who  had  brothers  and  sons  to  be  engaged 
openly  gave  way  to  their  grief,  as  the  last  parting  of  many  took  place  at  this 
most  terrible  ball ;  others  (and,  thank  Heaven,  we  ranked  amongst  that  number, 
for  in  the  midst  of  my  greatest  fears  I  still  felt  thankfulness  was  my  prominent 


The  Duchess  of  Richmond  and  the  Waterloo  Ball  43 

feeling  that  my  beloved  Dick  was  not  here)  who  had  no  near  relation  yet  felt 
that  amongst  the  many  friends  we  all  had  there  it  was  impossible  that  all  should 
escape,  and  that  the  next  time  we  might  hear  of  them  they  might  be  numbered 
with  the  dead  ;  in  fact,  my  dear  aunt,  I  cannot  describe  to  you  mingled  feelings  ; 
you  will,  however,  I  am  sure,  understand  them,  and  I  feel  quite  inadequate  to 
express  them.  We  stayed  at  this  ball  as  short  a  time  as  we  could,  but  long 
enough  to  see  express  after  express  arrive  to  the  Duke  of  Wellington,  to  hear 
of  aides-de-camp  arriving  breathless  with  news,  and  to  see,  what  was  more  extra- 
ordinary than  all,  the  Duke's  equanimity  a  little  discomposed. 

The  ball  has  formed  the  subject  of  many  stories  and  several  plays. 
The  classic  example,  of  course,  is   I  \inity  Fair.      Thackeray  says  : — 

There  never  was,  since  the  days  of  Darius,  such  a  brilliant  train  of  camp 
followers  as  hung  round  the  train  of  the  Duke  of  Wellington's  army  in  the  Low 
Countries  in  1S15,  and  led  it  dancing  and  feasting,  as  it  were,  up  to  the  very 
brink  of  battle.  A  certain  ball  which  a  noble  Duchess  gave  at  Brussels  on  the 
15th  June  in  the  above  mentioned  year  is  historical.  All  Brussels  had  been  in  a 
state  of  excitement  about  it,  and  I  have  heard  from  ladies  who  were  in  that  town 
at  the  period  that  the  talk  and  interest  of  persons  of  their  own  sex  regarding  the 
ball  was  much  greater  even  than  in  respect  of  the  enemy  in  their  front.  The 
struggles,  intrigues,  and  prayers  to  get  tickets  were  such  as  only  English  ladies 
will  employ  in  order  to  gain  admission  to  the  society  of  the  great  of  their  own 
nation. 

The  ball  was  quite  o'orireously  mounted  at  the  Adelphi  (Sep- 
tember oth-November  20th,  1897),  in  the  melodrama  ///  the  Days  of  the 
Duke,  written  by  Mr.  Haddon  Chambers  and  Mr.  Comyns  Carr,  the  third 
act,  painted  by  Mr.  W.  Harford,  showing  the  "hall  and  staircase"  of  the 
Duchess's  house.  Curiously  enough,  the  Duke  and  Duchess  of  Rich- 
mond did  not  appear  in  the  play,  though  Sir  Alexander  Gordon  was 
represented.  The  Duchess,  however,  figures  in  Mr.  Landon  Mitchell's 
dramatisation  of  Vanity  Fair,  which  Mrs.  Fiske  presented  in  America, 
under  the  title  of  Becky  Sharp,  the  part  being  played  by  Miss  Josephine 
Roberts  :  though  not  in  the  Becky  Sharp  produced  at  the  Prince  of 
Wales'  Theatre,  London,  last  year,  by  Miss  Marie  Tempest.  An 
interesting  point  about  this  dramatisation   is  the  fact  that   Mr.  Robert 


44  The  Gordon  Book 

Hichens  the  adaptor,  was  assisted  by  the  Duchess's  great  grandson, 
Mr.  Cosmo  Gordon  Lennox.  The  ball  scene,  however,  was  not  staged. 
The  Duke  of  Wellington  arrived  late.  Lady  Georgiana,  who 
was  dancing  at  the  time,  went  up  at  once  to  him  and  asked  him  if  the 
rumours  were  true  that  the  French  were  advancing.  "  Yes,  they  are 
true  ;  we  are  off  to-morrow."  The  news  was  circulated  immediately. 
She  writes  :  — 

Some  of  the  officers  hurried  away  ;  other  remained  at  the  ball  and  actually 
had  no  time  to  change  their  clothes,  but  fought  in  evening  costume.  I  went  with 
my  elder  brother,  Lord  March  [A.D.C.  to  the  Prince  of  Orange],  to  his  house 
which  stood  in  the  garden  to  help  him  to  pack  up,  after  which  we  returned  to 
the  ball-room,  where  we  found  some  energetic  and  heartless  ladies  still  dancing. 
It  was  a  dreadful  evening,  taking  leave  of  friends  and  acquaintances,  many  never 
to  be  seen  again.  The  Duke  of  Brunswick,  as  he  took  leave  of  me  in  the  ante- 
room adjoining  the  ball-room,  made  me  a  civil  speech  as  to  the  Brunswickers 
being  sure  to  distinguish  themselves  after  the  "  honour  "  I  had  done  them  by  my 
having  accompanied  the  Duke  of  Wellington  to  their  review.  I  remember  being 
quite  provoked  with  poor  Lord  Hay,  a  dashing,  merry  youth,  full  of  military 
ardour,  whom  I  knew  very  well,  for  his  delight  at  the  idea  of  going  into  action, 
and  of  all  the  honours  he  was  to  gain.      [Both  Brunswick  and  Hay  were  killed.] 

At  the  ball  supper  Lady  Georgiana  sat  next  to  Wellington,  who  gave 
her  a  miniature  of  himself,  painted  by  a  Belgian.  Lady  Georgiana 
relates  this  very  interesting  anecdote  : — 

In  the  course  of  the  evening  the  noble  chief  asked  my  father  for  a  map  of 
the  country  he  possessed,  and  went  into  the  study  putting  his  finger  on  Waterloo 
and  saying  the  battle  would  be  fought  there.  Many  families  and  individuals  left 
Brussels  at  once,  and  we  had  post  horses  in  the  stalls  ;  but  the  noble  chief 
promised  to  send  us  word  if  we  were  to  leave.  On  the  16th  came  the  dis- 
quieting news  of  Quatre  Bras,  and  the  death  of  many  friends.  On  the  iSth  we 
walked  about  nearly  all  morning,  being  unable  to  sit  quiet  hearing  the  firing, 
and  not  knowing  what  was  happening.  Many  wounded  officers  were  brought 
into  Brussels,  the  first  sight  of  which  on  litters  was  sickening,  and  filled  us  with 
intense  anxiety  to  know  who  they  were.  Messages  were  sent  to  us  that  our 
brother  was  safe.  Among  the  wounded  we  saw  brought  in  was  Lord  Lxbridge, 
afterwards  Marquis  of  Anglesey  ;  Lord  Fitzroy  Somerset,  afterwards  Lord 
Raglan  ;    and  the   Prince  of  Orange,  to  whom   my   brother  March   was  A.D.C. 


The  Duchess  of  Richmond  and  the  Waterloo  Ball  45 

Before  going  after  some  men  to  carry  him  off  the  field  he  [March]  tore  out  of  his 
[the  Prince's]  hat  the  Orange  cockade  to  prevent  his  being  recognised.  The 
Prince  afterwards  said  that  this  precaution  saved  his  life.  We  had  a  fearful 
alarm  during  the  day,  as  the  Cumberland  army  came  tearing  through  Brussels  to 
say  that  the  allied  army  was  beaten,  and  the  French  were  coming  into  the 
town.  Much  credit  was  given  to  this  report.  Although  alarming,  the  truth  soon 
became  known  that  these  Hussars  had  been  pursued,  and  after  hearing  the 
whistle  of  shots  about  their  ears  wheeled  round  and  left  the  town.  During  the 
15th,  16th,  and  many  succeeding  days  we  were  employed  in  preparing  lint  for 
the  wounded.  On  the  evening  of  the  18th  the  brilliant  victory  was  known  at 
Brussels,  and  very  thankful  were  we  that  those  whom  we  had  known  at  the 
front  were  protected,  and  that  the  war  was  at  an  end  ;  although  the  losses  were 
great.  The  next  morning  the  Duke  arrived  in  Brussels,  and  about  10  a.m.  my 
father  and  I  walked  up  to  his  house.  The  Duke  met  them  m  the  park,  and 
looked  sad  ;  and  when  we  shook  hands  he  said  :  "  It  is  a  hardly  bought  victory  ; 
we  have  lost  so  many  fine  fellows."  My  father  asked  him  to  dinner,  and  he 
refused,  stating  that  in  coming  to  Brussels  he  had  given  up  his  bed  to  poor  Sir 
Alexander  Gordon,  who  was  dying  of  his  wounds,  and  whose  groans  were  so 
distressing  he  could  not  get  on  writing  his  despatches. 

One  can  well  imagine  the  intense  anxiety  of  the  Duchess  of  Richmond 
and  her  daughter,  for  her  husband  and  her  sons  were  in  the 
fight.  This  is  brought  most  clearly  out  by  General  Cavalie  Mercer, 
commanding  the  Ninth  Brigade  of  Royal  Artillery,  who,  writing  in 
his  Journal  of  the  Waterloo  Campaign,  on  June  15th,  records 
that  he  was  left  alone  that  evening  at  a  little  Belgian  village  called 
Yseringen,  because  all  the  other  officers  had  gone  off  to  the  ball  at 
Brussels.  On  the  morning  of  June  16th — the  day  on  which  Quatre 
Bras  was  fought — officers  of  all  ranks  were  to  be  seen  hurrying  to  the 
front  on  their  jaded  horses,  dressed  in  the  embroidered  uniforms  and 
white  pantaloons  which  they  had  worn  at  the  Duchess  of  Richmond's 
ball.  Cavalie  Mercer,  in  describing  the  morning  of  June  18th — Water- 
loo day — employs  the  following  words  : — ■ 

As  I  was  standing  by  my  battery  of  artillery,  a  line,  tall,  upright  old  gentle- 
man in  plain  clothes,  followed  by  two  very  young  ones,  crossed  our  front  at  a 
gallop  from  the  Brussels  road,  and  continued  in  the  direction  of  our  right  wing, 
where  the  firing  was  very  heavy.     I  stared  with  surprise  to  see  three  unarmed 


46  The  Gordon  Book 

civilians  pressing  forward  into  so  hot  a  fight.     They  were  the  Duke  of  Richmond 
and  his  two  sons. 

The  latter  were   Lord  William    Pitt  Lennox,   aged  sixteen,   and   Lord 
Frederick  Lennox,  aged  fourteen. 

Mr.  John  Kent,  in  his  Reminiscences  of  Goodwood  relates  a  remark- 
able incident  of  the  Duke  of  Richmond  at  Waterloo.  The  Inniskillings 
were  on  the  point  of  advancing  across  the  Awarve  Road  to  charge, 
when  an  individual  on  the  left  in  plain  clothes  called  out  "  Now's  your 
time!"  This  was  Richmond,  who,  though  he  held  no  rank  in  the  army, 
followed  his  old  friend  Wellington  through  all  the  dangers  of  the  day, 
and  even  rode  into  the  squares  of  the  infantry  while  under  the  fire  of 
the  enemy.  On  the  morning  after  Waterloo  the  Duke  of  Richmond 
and  Lord  March  rode  over  the  field,  and  brought  home  a  lot  of  trophies 
from  the  field.  Wellington's  victory  completely  disproved  the  pessim- 
ism of  the  Duchess  of  Richmond's  mother,  of  whom  Susan  Ferrier,  the 
novelist,  as  quoted  in  Doyle's  Memoir  of  her,  wrote  to  a  friend  in 
1809  : — 

We're  first  to  die  of  famine  in  the  winter  ;  and  Bonaparte's  to  come  and  rob 
us  all  the  spring.  So  says  the  Duchess  of  Gordon,  and  it  must  be  so,  because, 
she  says,  everything  she  has  ever  predicted  has  always  come  to  pass. 

The  great  Duchess,  it  may  be  remembered,  tried  to  marry  one  of  her 
daughters  to  Napoleon's  stepson,  Eugene  Beauharnais.  In  the 
winter  of  181 5  the  Duke  gave  a  ball  at  the  Elysee,  in  Paris,  at 
which  Lady  Georgiana  Lennox  was  present.  Thirty-eight  years  later 
she  was  in  that  same  ball-room,  on  the  eve  of  Lord  Raglan  and  his 
staff's  going  to  the  Crimea.  Lady  de  Ros  used  to  give  the  veteran 
Lord  Albemarle  (who  fought  as  an  ensign  at  Waterloo),  a  laurel  leaf 
every  year  in  memory  of  Waterloo.  In  1892  he  took  the  laurel  leaf  to 
the  Military  Tournament,  and  gave  it  to  the  young  Duke  of  Albany, 
who  had  come  to  see  the  old  warrior.  Albemarle's  grandson,  the  Hon. 
George  Keppel,  once  served,  it  is  interesting  to  remember,  in  the 
Gordon  Highlanders. 


The  Duchess  of  Richmond  and  the  Waterloo  Ball 


47 


The  Duchess  took  the  keenest  interest  in  the  Regiment  which  her 

mother  had  established.      Thus,  when  the  Duke  of  Richmond  succeeded 

The  Duchess  and  ms     Drother-in-law    the    Duke    of    Bedford,    the     Lord- 

the  Gordon      Lieutenant  of  Ireland,  in    1807,  he  reviewed  the  Gordon 

Highlanders. 

Highlanders;  and  Colonel  Greenhill  Gardyne  tells  us 
that  the  Duchess  made  much  of  them,  and  applied  for  two  regimental 
bonnets,  probably  for  her  boys. 

The  Duke  died  from  the  effects  of  the  bite  of  a  fox,  near  Rich- 
mond, Montreal — he  became  Governor  of  Canada  in  1818  — on  August 

28th,  1819.      It  may  be  remembered  that  Lord  Doneraile 
Her  Children.  ,  .,  ,      r  „,.        T^      , 

met  the  same  terrible  late  in  1887.       I  he  Duchess,  who 

outlived   him  by  twenty-three  years,  died  on    May  5th,  1842,  at  the  ao-e 

of  seventy-three.      She  bore  the  Duke  fourteen  children,  namely,  seven 

sons  and  seven  daughters,  as  follows  : — 

1.  Charles,  z,th  Duke  of  Richmond,  1791 -1S60.      He  adopted,  by  royal  license, 

the  name  of  "  Gordon"  in  front  of  "  Lennox"  (on  the  death  of  his  uncle) 
on  August  9th,  1836.  He  was  wounded  at  the  battle  of  Orthez,  and 
was  A.D.C.  to  the  Prince  of  Orange  at  Waterloo.  He  was  the 
father  of 

Charles  Henry,  6th  Duke  of  Richmond  and  Gordon,  who  was  created 
Duke  of  Gordon  in  1876. 

2.  Lord  John  George  Lennox,   1793-1873.      He  had   five  sons,  among  them 

Sir  Wilbraham  Oates  Lennox,  of  the  Royal  Engineers,  who  won  the 
Victoria  Cross  at  the  battle  of  Sebastopol. 

3.  Lord  Henry   Adam    Lennox,    Royal    Navy,  who  was  drowned  by  falling 

overboard  from  H.M.S.  Blake,  when  sailing  from  Portmahon  in  1812. 

4.  Lord  William  Pitt  Lennox,  1 799-1881.      lie  wrote  his  memoirs. 

5.  Lord  Frederick  Lennox,  1 801 -1 829.      He  was  an  officer  in  the  army. 

6.  Lord  Sussex  Lennox,  1802-1874. 

7.  Lord  Arthur  Lennox,  1806- 1864.      He  was  in  the  army. 

8.  Lady  Mary  Lennox,  married  Sir  Charles  Fitzroy,  and  died  in  1847. 

9.  Lady  Sarah    Lennox,   married    in    the    year    of  Waterloo  Sir    Peregrine 

Maitland,  and  died  in  1854.  She  was  the  grandmother  of  Captain 
Frederick  Kerr,  D.S.O.,  of  the  Gordon  Highlanders,  and  of  Commander 
Kerr,  R.N.,  who  made  an  interesting  reference  to  Jane  Maxwell,  on 
the  occasion  of  a  recent  visit  of  the  torpedo  flotilla  to  Aberdeen. 


4S  The  Gordon  Book 

10.  Lady  Georgiana  Lennox,  1795-1891,  married  the  23rd  Lord  de  Ros.  She 
wrote  an  extremely  interesting  account  of  her  mother's  Waterloo  ball. 

1  1.  Lady  Jane  Lennox,  died  1861,  married  Lawrence  Peel,  son  of  the  first  Sir 
Robert  Peel.  It  is  interesting  to  note  that  her  daughter,  Constance, 
married  into  the  Gordon  family,  for  in  1803  she  became  the  wife  of 
Colonel  George  Grant  Gordon,  grandson  of  the  ninth  Marquis  of  Huntly. 

12.  Lady    Louisa    Madeline   Lennox,   October    2nd,    1803-March    2nd,    1900, 

married  the  Right  Hon.  W.  F.  F.  Tighe,  of  Woodstock,  Kilkenny. 

13.  Lady  Charlotte  Lennox,  1 804- 1 833,  married  the   first  Baron  Fitzhardinge, 

of  Bristol.     Her  daughter  married  the  second   Lord  Gifford,  and  was 
the  mother  of  that  gallant  officer,  the  Hon.  Maurice  Gifford. 

14.  Lady  Sophia  Georgiana  Lennox,  October  2nd,  1809-January  17th,  1902, 

married  Lord  Thomas  Cecil,  son  of  the  first  Marquis  of  Exeter. 

The  descendants  of  the  Duchess  have  numbered  close  on  a  hundred 
and  fifty,  and  several  of  her  great-great-great-grandchildren  are  alive, 
including  Lord  Settrington's  children.  A  large  number  of  her  descend- 
ants have  been,  or  are,  in  the  army.  Among  them  are  the  four  sons  of 
Sir  Henry  Trotter,  commanding  the  Home  District,  who  married  the 
daughter  of  Lady  Charlotte  Fitzhardinge,  that  is  to  say,  the  grand- 
daughter of  the  Duchess  of  Richmond.  There  is  a  strong  literary 
instinct  in  the  Lennoxes.  Lord  William  Pitt  and  his  sister,  Lady  de 
Ros,  both  wrote,  and  Constance  Lady  Russell,  the  daughter  of  Lord 
Arthur  Lennox,  is  the  author  of  a  capital  book  on  Swallowfield,  in 
Berks,  where  she  lives.  It  is  the  house  of  the  Pitts,  who  are  descended 
from  the  Innes  family  of  Reidhall. 

The  recent  deaths  of  the  veteran  ladies — Ladies  Louise  Tighe  and 

Lady  Sophia  Cecil,  both  of  them  grand-daughters  of   Lady  Charlotte 

Lennox — show  the  extraordinary  vitality  of  the  family. 

Lady  Louisa     Ladv  de   Ros,   the   elder  sister,  was  96   when  she  died, 
Tighe.  J 

Lady  Louisa  was  97,  and  Lady  Sophia  93.     Lady  Louisa 

spent  most  of  her  life  in   Kilkenny.      She  saw  four  sovereigns  on  the 

throne,  and  lived  to  entertain  the   Prince  and  Princess  of  Wales,  then 

Duke  and  Duchess  of  York,  at  her   Irish   home  at  Woodstock.      More 

than  a  hundred  years  before,  her  father  had  fought  his  duel   with   the 


Lady  Sophia  Cecil. 


Lady  Sophia  Georgiana  was  one  of  the  seven  daughters  of  the  4th  Duke  of  Richmond  (bv  Ladv 
Charlotte  Gordon)  and  consequently  an  aunt  of  the  present  Duke.  She  was  born  in  1809,  married  Lord 
Thomas  Cecil  (son  of  the  1st  Marquis  of  Exeter)  in  1S38,  and  died  January  17,  1902.  This  picture  is 
reproduced  by  the  courtesy  of  James  Russell  &  Sons,  Baker  Street,  London. 


The  Duchess  of  Richmond  and  the  Waterloo  Ball 


40 


previous  Duke  of  York.  Far  away  from  Courts  and  the  national  turmoil 
of  her  childhood,  Lady  Louisa  spent  a  charmed  life  at  Woodstock.  The 
estate  extends  over  an  area  of  forty  miles,  and  the  drives  and  walks  cover 
some  500  miles  in  all  directions.  A  writer  in  Mr.  T.  P.  O'Connor's 
lively  weekly  gave  some  interesting  details  about  this  haven  of  rest 
where  Lady  Louisa  grew  so  old  : — 


The  house  is  of  g-ranite,  with  countless  windows  which  give  it  somewhat 
severe  lines.  Inside,  the  visitor  notices  the  grand  hall  and  staircase,  from  the 
windows  of  which  the  most  charming  views  of  the  gardens  are  obtained,  ablaze 
in  summer  with  a  tropical  wealth  of  bloom.  Terrace  rises  upon  terrace,  with 
bank  upon  bank  of  lavish  colour.  Each  stone  in  the  marble  terrace  is  from 
designs  of  Daniel  Sullivan,  each  one  different,  and  each  representative  of  some 
striking  scene  in  different  nations.  .  .  .  Hundreds  of  deer  are  killed  yearly 
at  Woodstock,  but,  curiously  enough,  only  the  right  side  is  ever  eaten  or  cooked. 
The  custom  has  its  origin  from  the  fact  that  in  generations  gone  by  a  favourite 
deer  was  accidently  wounded  on  the  left  side,  and  its  owner  declared  that  hence- 
forth no  Woodstock  deer  should  ever  be  shot  or  harmed  unless  the  sportsman 
touched  the  right  side.  There  are  other  quaint  customs  and  privileges,  one  of 
which  is  the  right  of  all  tenants  to  lay  their  grievances  or  disputes  before  their 
lord  and  master,  not  entering  the  house  to  do  so,  but  standing  in  the  outer 
courtyard,  which  is  directly  under  the  study  window.  Here  the  late  Colonel 
Tighe  came  every  morning  at  a  fixed  hour,  Sundays  excepted,  it  being  an  un- 
written law  that  he  should  never  refuse  the  request  of  the  widowed  and  fatherless, 
while  his  tenants  were  pledged  to  abide  by  his  decisions  as  they  were  by  those 
of  Lady  Louisa  after  the  "  Colonel's  "  death. 

An  enormous  number  of  men  are  employed  upon  the  various  farms  and 
estates  at  Woodstock  ;  on  the  "  Home  Farm  "  300  men  work  daily  in  all  seasons, 
while  100  women  and  girls  are  hired  simply  to  pick  up  the  fallen  leaves  and  keep 
the  borders  weeded.  These  workers  were  clad  by  Lad)-  Louisa  in  a  most 
picturesque  uniform  of  green  and  white,  at  her  sole  expense.  The  skirts  were  of 
shamrock  green,  pinned  back  over  under  skirts  of  a  darker  shade  of  the  same 
colour;  the  bonnets  of  plaited  straw,  made  in  quaint  cottage  style,  with  strings 
to  tie  under  the  chin.     These  women  were  Lady  Louisa's  special  protegees. 

There  are  six  lodges  at  Woodstock,  given  in  charge  of  persons,  usually 
women,  who  have  lost  their  money,  and  are  obliged  to  work  for  their  support. 
Lady  Louisa  constantly  built  houses  on  the  estate  for  philanthropic  purposes. 
One  of  these,  "  The  Red  House,"  is  kept  solely  for  visitors,  who,  however,  have 
to   wait  their  turn,  and  are  obliged  to  send  in  the  proposed  date  of  their  visit, 

7 


5° 


The  Gordon   Book 


with  their  names,  which  are  all  entered  in  a  book  kept  for  the  purpose.  Upon 
the  day  selected  they  are  received  with  almost  royal  welcome.  A  luncheon  is 
provided,  and  they  are  waited  upon  by  servants,  who  pay  them  every  attention, 
show  them  the  grounds,  and  even  provide  boats  for  them  to  go  on  the  lake  if 
so  inclined.  The  gamekeeper  has  a  very  picturesque  cottage,  as  has  also  the 
wood-ranger,  near  whose  house  is  a  stream  which  is  carried  five  miles  to  supply- 
Woodstock  with  water.  From  a  splendid  spring  of  bubbling  water,  famed  for 
its  deliciously  icy  clearness,  and  called  "  The  Silver  Spring,"  Lady  Louisa  had 
two  pailfuls  carried  to  her  every  morning,  a  distance  of  three  miles.  It  is  said 
that  to  maintain  Woodstock  costs  £3,000  a  week. 


-CiSLady  Sophia  Cecil,  who  died  on  January  17th,  1902,  was  the  last  of 
the  Duchess  of  Richmond's  fourteen  children.  She  was  a  great  favourite 
of  her  father,  one  ot 
whose  last  instruc- 
tions was  :  "  Give 
my  favourite  little 
dog,  Blucher,  to 
my  daughter  Mary. 
The  sight  of  him 
will  make  her  cry 
at  first,  but  turn 
him  into  the  room 
when  she  is  alone 
and  shut  the  door. 
Tell  March  that  I  know  how  much  he  will  regret  to  find  himself  Duke 
of  Richmond,  but  I  feel  certain  that  my  estates,  and  all  that  I  leave 
him  will  qo  into  the  hands  of  one  of  the  most  honourable  men  in  Engf- 
land.  Give  my  warm  love  to  Louisa  and  Charlotte,  and  do  not  forget 
little  Sophia,  who  will,  I  am  sure,  follow  in  the  steps  of  her  elder  sisters." 
These  are  only  a  few  of  the  stories  that  could  be  told  about  the 
house  of  Richmond  and  Gordon.  It  has  occupied  a  very  prominent 
place  in  the  history  of  the  country,  and  its  members  have,  almost  without 
exception,  distinguished  themselves  in  every  branch  ot  the  public  service. 


The   Duchess  of  Richmond  and  her  Husband, 
the  Hosts  of  the  "Waterloo  Ball." 


J.   M.   Bulloch. 


Cosmo  George,  3RD  Duke  of  Gordon. 

This  picture,  painted  by  Philip  Mercier  (1689-1760),  hangs  in  Gordon  Castle,  and  shows  the  Duke  at 
the  age  of  25.  The  Duke,  who  was  christened  after  Cosmo  de  Medici,  Grand  Duke  of  Tuscany,  who  was 
a  friend  of  his  father,  was  born  about  1720,  and  succeeded  his  father,  the  2nd  Duke,  in  172S.  He 
married  Catherine,  only  daughter  of  his  brother-in-law,  the  2nd  Earl  of  Aberdeen,  and  was  the  father  of 
Lord  George  Gordon,  the  Anti-Popish  Rioter.      He  died  near  Amiens,  on  August  5,  1752. 


rmj^jr^j^r^igta^Ji^r^^JrmJin^ir^Jr^JrmJraJrmJlililr^JraJ^JrBJr^ 


i  jeli  r^j  r^J  rmj  r^J  femi  r^Jjmjj^J  r^J  r^J  istsi  r^J  r^J  r^-i  n^j  nsu  h^^T^^-jj^J_rgJrg-i 


Zbc  Xocal  Scenery  of  jfocbabers. 

MPRESSIVELY  realistic  is  the  scenery  around  Fochabers,  for 
nature  has  been  left  so  much  undisturbed  here  that  in  some  parts 
its  savagery  is  matchless.  The  noise  of  that  swift  mountain  torrent  the 
Spey,  the  wimpling  of  the  burns,  the  red  scarred  crags,  the  deep 
ravines,  the  purple  heathery  hills,  the  braes  mantled  in  yellow  broom, 
the  primeval  fir  trees — there  is  majesty  and  grandeur  on  every  hand. 
"  Lat's  gae  doon,"  as  they  would  say  in  Fochabers,  to  the  Spey  and 
follow  the  beautiful  river. 

We  are  in  the  gulch  or  mouth  of  the  Aultdarg  Burn-  the  summit 
of  the  banks  rising  many  hundreds  of  feet  above  our  head.  At  our 
feet  rush  the  waters  of  the  rapid  Spey  that  have  traversed  close  on  a 
hundred  miles  of  Highland  territory.  See  how  "she"  (Spey  is  always 
referred  to  locally,  after  the  idiom  of  the  Highlanders,  affectionately  in 
the  feminine)  approaches  us  with  all  the  impetuous,  tearless  force,  and 
daring  of  a  daughter  of  the  heather.  Banks  and  bulwarks  she  des- 
pises, as  o'er  her  "scaups"  she  rushes  with  unbridled  energy.  By  the 
braes  of  Ordiquish  we  find  her  at  her  best,  swirling  furiously  onwards. 
Let  us  mark  time  here,  for  nature  has  come  in  the  shape  of  a  sweet 
tract  of  green  sward  to  add  a  refreshing  charm  to  the  scene.  The 
braes  are  decked  in  yellow  broom.  Beyond,  in  the  uplands,  are  the 
cosy  hamlets  of  Ordiquish.  ( )n  Spey's  western  shore  lie  the  Haughs  of 
Dipple,  the  extensive  farm  of  Orbliston,  and   man}-  others,  backed  by 


52  The  Gordon  Book 

the  Tienland  hills.  "Up"  Spey,  historic  Orton,  Ben  Aigen,  and 
Ben  Rinnes  loom  tranquilly.  Look  well  at  the  pool  of  the  river, 
where  the  salmon  is  in  his  proper  element.  Here  have  we,  as  bairns, 
with  much  splashing  and  frolic,  jumped  into  the  stream,  but,  in  the 
end,  came  out  expert  swimmers. 

Passing  "  The  Quarters,"  by  Fochabers  (where  the  salmon  of  the 
Richmond  and  Gordon  fishings  are  packed,  nets  are  dried  and  mended, 
boats  beached  and  re-tarred),  "she"  drives  headlong  full  force  against 
the  "  Red  Craigs,"  by  the  Brig  o'  Spey,  and  finding  "  she"  can  neither 
demolish  the  brig  nor  the  old  red  sandstone  rocks,  "she"  sullenly 
hugs  the  shores  of  the  "  Boat  Land,"  the  mooring  ground  of  the 
wherryman  in  the  days  of  long  ago.  Away  "she"  tears,  hissing  and 
seething,  giving  a  final  catch-me-if-you-can  splutter,  and,  with  much 
indignation,  summarily  hurls  her  waters  into  the  "  cauld  North  Sea." 

Into  the  Spey,  from  her  eastern  shore,  run  the  Burn  of  Fochabers, 
the  Burn  of  Ordiquish,  and  the  Burn  of  Aultdarg  (Aldarg).  The  Burn 
of  Fochabers  skirts  the  south  side  of  the  town,  and  on  its  margin  there 
is  a  sweet  acreage  of  green  grass,  termed  the  "  Burn  Green,"  used  for 
the  statutory  trysts  and  cattle  markets;  in  fact,  it  is  the  "bleach- 
green"  and  clachan  of  the  town — the  schoolboy's  battle-ground  as 
well,  where  the  present  writer  had  to  fight  many  a  time,  "knees  and 
elbies  and  a',"  like  a  mountain  cat,  and  make  hair  fly  about  like  rain, 
until  he  was  either  literally  worsted,  "clean  forfochten,"  or  had  his 
adversary — which  was  very  seldom — biting  the  dust  at  his  feet. 

Journeying  inland,  "  up  "  the  Burn  we  find  a  most  romantic, 
picturesque  country — the  larch,  the  birch,  the  fir,  the  bracken,  and 
the  heather  growing  in  all  their  pristine  luxuriance.  The  sides  of  the 
Burn  are  veritable  precipices.  In  the  solitudes  of  the  rivulet,  we  find 
the  roe  deer,  black  game,  the  hill  fox;  also  the  gled  and  sparrow  hawk; 
the  owl  as  well.  In  the  underwood,  which,  in  some  instances,  is 
impenetrable,  the  pole  cat,  the  stoat,  even  the  badger,  have  their 
lairs.      About   half  a   mile  further  up  Spey  we  come  to  the   Burn  of 


The  Local  Scenery  of  Fochabers  53 

Ordiquish,  charming  in  its  placid  simplicity  as  it  nears  the  Spey,  but. 
away  at  its  source,  by  the  brown,  heathery  Hill  of  Ordiquish,  at  a  spot 
called  the  "  Tor  Castles,"  it  is  majestically  rugged  and  grand.  The 
chasm  of  the  Burn  is  at  least  from  300  to  400  feet  in  depth,  and  it  is 
only  about  four  yards  wide  in  some  places.  To  survey  the  splendid 
array  of  red  crags,  the  brows  of  which  are  tufted  with  heather,  shaggy 
grass,  or  yellow  broom,  springing  hundreds  of  feet  aloft — red  spectres, 
their  summit  as  sharp  as  the  arrow  of  the  Indian — the  stillness  of 
solitude  is  awe-inspiring,  broken  only  by  the  curlew's  note  in  the 
moss  and  fell  beyond,  the  whirr  of  a  blackcock,  or  the  flash  of  a  snipe. 

The  moment  is  stimulating  and  heroic.  On  the  moorland  close  at 
hand,  embedded  in  the  heather,  there  is  a  gigantic  stone  of  great 
dimensions.  How  it  came  there  no  man  can  tell.  It  is  a  splendid 
resting-place,  however,  for  the  weary  shepherd  boys  of  Ordiquish,  and, 
strange  to  say,  it  is  called  "Jean  Carr "  (a  lassie  again).  Another 
half-mile  further  "up"  the  Spey  and  we  are  at  the  Burn  of  Aultdarg, 
a  more  pretentious  rivulet  than  that  of  Ordiquish.  Here,  again,  we 
have  the  same  picturesque  and  rugged  reality.  Down,  down,  hundreds 
of  feet  down,  the  foam  of  the  bubbling  burn,  on  its  journey  to  the 
parent  Spey,  sings  cheerfully.  There  is  music  in  its  murmurings. 
"  'Mong  moors  and  mosses  monnie,  O,"  we  try  to  track  the  source  of 
the  stream.  Endless  seem  the  scarred  peaks  and  crags.  Away  in 
impenetrable  hazel  nooks  and  dens  croodles  the  cushie,  and  Scotland's 
nightingale,  the  mavis,  and  the  blackbird.  From  its  lair  in  the 
heather  springs  the  mountain  hare,  and  a  flock  of  wild  ducks  whirrs  past. 

Hark  to  the  yelp  of  a  fox  in  the  moorland.  A  half-dozen  deer 
spring  up  the  ravines  like  lightning.  Here  again  is  the  profound 
stillness  of  solitude  -  the  unspeakable  something  that  almost  insists 
upon  our  worshipping  nature  :  nature  that  seems  to  dwarf  every  other 
circumstance.  We  are  held  in  thrall  by  the  ancient  spell  of  the 
locality,  by  the  traditions  of  battles  fought  and  won,  by  the  stories  of 
death  struggles  on  the  moor — the  hiding-ground  of  the  brave  Jacobites, 


54  The  Gordon  Book 

by  the  creepy  superstitious  romance  about  the  fairies  and  the  water 
kelpie.  Here  no  day-dream  of  the  telephone  and  the  telegraph  wire 
distracts,  nor  even  the  whistle  of  a  railway  engine,  for  the  iron-horse 
has  no  abiding  place  in  the  lands  of  the  Richmond  and  Gordon. 
With  the  irresistible  noise  of  the  cataracts  in  our  ears,  we  dip  through 
bramble,  wild  rose,  thorn,  broom,  and  whin,  into  the  bed  of  the  burn. 
On  every  side  are  forests  of  larch  and  pine  trees,  with  underwood  thick. 
We  are  at  the  mouth  of  Aultdarg  Burn  again,  where  the  otter  lurks  and 
laughs  to  the  moon.  Onwards  we  follow,  for  a  mile  or  two,  the  course 
of  the  rushing  river. 

There  is  an  indissoluble  intensity  about  the  "  Bellie  Road," 
despite  its  splendid  earn,  birch,  and  elm  trees.  It  is  the  solemn 
highway  to  the  kirkyard,  where  in  peace  sleep  the  fore-fathers 
of  Fochabers.  The  conventional  artist  has  invariably  limned 
Gordon  Castle  in  a  superabundance  of  foliage  and  tranquillity  that 
would  betoken  its  enjoying  eternal  summer;  but  Gordon  Castle  cannot 
be  really  seen  until  "fields  and  forests  are  bare,"  when  the  snow- 
charged  clouds  drive  past  its  ancient  turrets,  and  sleet  and  hail  course 
through  the  battlements  ;  when  the  angry  northern  wind  howls  and 
whistles  amongst  its  cavernous  corridors  and  spacious  halls,  making 
the  very  tapestry  and  ancestral  pictures  shiver  on  its  walls.  Then 
the  Castle  is  "The  Castle":  serene  in  storm  and  blast.  Seaward, 
about  a  mile  beyond,  approaching  the  Bogmoor,  Dallachy,  and 
Auchinhalrig  corner  of  the  Gordon  estates,  on  the  Portgordon  Road, 
is  the  prehistoric  landmark,  the  Gavin  Brae',  rich  in  local  associations, 
and    embowered    in    dense    natural    brushwood   and   patriarchal    firs. 

Returning  we  pass  the  picturesque  kennels,  with  the  bay  of  the  deer- 
hound,  the  Gordon  setters,  spaniels,  and  retrievers  ;  past  the  saw-mill, 
with  its  rustic  wheels  and  mill-leads  ;  the  tranquil  Home  Farm,  with  its 
brave  array  of  corn  ricks.  We  are  near  the1  J  )eer  Park,  by  "  Wishart's 
Burn,"  the  only  dell  that  the  Richmond  and  Gordon  family,  in 
their  magnanimous,   self-denying  generosity,    have   expressed   a  wish 


The  Last  Duchess  of  Gordon. 


This  picture  is  reproduced  from  the  miniature  in  enamel  by  William  Essex  (1784-1869)  at  Gordon 
Castle.  The  Duchess  was  Elizabeth  Brodie,  daughter  of  Alexander  Brodie  of  Arnhall,  Kincardine. 
She  married  the  5th  Duke  of  Gordon  (then  Marquis  of  Huntly)  on  December  11,  1813.  There  was  no 
issue  of  the  marriage.  The  Duke  died  in  London,  May  28,  1836.  The  Duchess,  who  was  24  years 
younger  than  the  Duke,  died  at  Huntly  Lodge,  January,  31,  1864.  in  her  70th  year.  The  picture  shows 
her  in  a  plain  black  velvet  gown. 


The  Local  Scenery  of  Fochabers  55 

should  be  dedicated  to  their  privacy.  It  is  a  magnificent  spot,  with 
its  underwood  of  bracken,  bramble,  wild  flowers,  venerable  fir  trees, 
lime,  elm,  and  outspreading  beech.  Here,  on  the  Cullen  Road 
margin,  there  is  a  Swiss  chalet,  encircled  with  flowers  and  foliage,  where 
the  families  used  to  have  afternoon  tea  al  fresco.  Then  we  debouch 
from  the  Burn  and  enter  woods  which  are  the  offspring  of  the  soil  the 
indigenous  plants  and  trees  of  the  locality— the  bending,  elegant  birch, 
the  mountain  ash,  the  bonnie  hazel,  the  saugh,  the  haw,  the  bourtree,  the 
briar,  the  bracken.  Within  this  forest  we  find  the  "  Red  Burn,"  with 
crags  and  peaks  and  jagged,  red  banks.  Away  through  a  territory  of 
bramble,  bracken,  and  heather,  knee  deep,  we  encounter  the  well- 
known  and  dearly  beloved  "  Sma'  Burn,"  which  in  some  parts  eclipses 
"  Wishart's."  Down  in  its  deep  bed,  with  its  cascades  of  purling 
water,  its  mossy  banks  studded  with  "pinkies"  (primroses)  and 
blue  bells,  the  splendid  emerald  covering  of  prodigal  foliage  overhead, 
the  silvery  birch,  the  mammoth  whin  bushes,  hark  the  song  of  the 
mellow  mavis  and  blackbird  ;  in  the  heart  of  yon  hazel  thicket,  the 
robin,  who  in  winter  will  not  despise  the  fireside,  and  will  even  assist 
at  praise  and  prayer  in  the  Auld  Kirk,  but  now  that  it  is  summer 
is  shy  and  coy.  Aloft,  the  swinging  abode  of  "Jenny  Wren,"  who, 
manibus  pedibusquc,  will  combat  with  the  gayest  Gordon. 

The  air  gets  more  rarified  and  keener  :  we  are  ascending  the  Hill 
of  Fochabers.  The  "  keely,  keely,"  of  the  voracious  sparrow-hawk, 
the  croose  craw  of  the  muir-cock,  the  flip  of  the  snipe,  the  soft  note  of 
the  heather  lintie,  the  chatter  of  the  titmouse  and  the  golden-crested 
wren,  tell  us  we  are  very  near  moorland.  We  glance  to  the  right,  and 
look  on  a  scene  of  great  magnificence  in  nature  run  wild — -brown 
mountain  heather,  the  drooping  ash,  the  birch,  the  hazel,  lichen- 
covered  giant  firs;  down  in  a  ravine  of  hundreds  and  hundreds  of  feet, 
far,  far  below,  the  gurgling  rivulet,  commonly  called  the  Dramlachs 
("  Druimlag  "  being  the  Gaelic  for  hollow,  back  of  hill).  There  are 
three  such  ravines,   each  one  vicing  with   the  other  in   splendour  and 


56  The  Gordon   Book 

natural  picturesqueness.  Near  the  "  Dramlachs,"  in  a  secluded  spot 
of  gowan  and  moss)-  banks,  we  come  to  Charlie's  Brig,  a  structure  of 
the  old  county  road,  and  across  it  the  troops  of  Bonnie  Prince  Charlie 
marched.  Still,  "O'er  the  moor,  amang  the  heather,"  the  very  fir 
trees  now  ceasing  to  grow,  the  whin  bushes  here  being  fantastically 
cropped  by  the  hungry  mountain  hare  and  rabbit.  The  airissnell  and 
keen.  We  find  ourselves  on  a  plateau  of  brown,  crisp  heather.  We 
are  on  the  summit  of  "  White  Ash,"  about  two  miles  from  the  town, 
and  at  an  altitude  of  866  feet.  Away  beyond  is  the  Hill  of  Aultmore, 
where  the  grouse,  snipe,  blackcock,  and  roedeer  are  in  abundance. 
On  the  other  side  of  the  Inverness  Road  is  the  universally  revered 
"  Slorach's  Wood."  From  White  Ash  we  get  a  splendid  view  of  the 
Moray  Firth,  the  shores  of  Ross  and  Cromarty,  the  city  of  Elgin,  the 
"  Laich  o'  Moray,"  and  the  valley  of  the  Spey. 

We  cry  halt  by  a  noble  cairn,  erected  to  a  noble  Duchess  who  was 
never  tired  of  well-doing  for  Fochabers  and  its  inhabitants.  On  one 
of  the  stones  runs  the  following  inscription  : — 

This  Cairn  is  erected   in  Memory  of 
FRANCES  HARRIET,  Duchess  of  Richmond. 
1 SS7. 

Hark,  in  the  distance,  miles  below,  the  war-note  of  the  Gordons, 
savage  and  shrill  !  The  Duke  of  Richmond  and  Gordon  is  in  his  ducal 
ha'.  How  the  sound  of  the  pipes  stirs  one  !  No  belted  Highlanders 
may  parade  the  highways  and  byways  of  the  ancestral  home  of  the 
noble  clan.  There  may  be  an  absence  of  parade,  but  the  fierce  native 
daring  is  there  as  much  as  ever  it  was  in  the  days  of  a  Wallace  and  a 
Bruce  ;  and,  for  Britain's  rights,  aye  ready  to  turn  the  bonnet  o'er  the 
broo  and  buckle  the  broadsword  to  the  side.  But  we  are  surveying 
the  tranquil  and  picturesque  scenery  around  Fochabers,  and  must 
confess  that,  for  characteristic  Scottish  grandeur,  Fochabers  and 
the  Richmond  and  Gordons  "  hae  the  guidiri  dt" 

George  Roy  Duncan. 
I. u\  [ion,  21st  June,   1902. 


]^mr^mr^\mim[^mr^m^r^mm\^^B^r^r^r^m)\^ 


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Ubc  Store  of  fllMlne's  Jnstitutton. 

PEW  places  throughout  the  country  can  boast  as  their  centre  of 
1  education  such  a  palatial  pile  as  Milne's  Institution.  Standing 
some  distance  beyond  the  village,  it  occupies  a  commanding  position, 
and  at  once  arrests  the  attention  of  the  visitor,  invariably  calling  forth 
admiration  alike  for  the  handsome  nature  of  the  building  and  the 
beauty  of  its  surroundings.  It  is  of  the  Tudor-Gothic  style  of  archi- 
tecture, combining  solidity  with  chaste  ornamentation.  The  balcony 
overlooking  its  terraced  front,  the  large  lawn  stretching  down  to  the 
main  entrance,  the  tasteful  shrubbery  on  the  outskirts  of  the  grounds, 
added  to  its  charming  situation,  mark  it  out  as  a  lordly  mansion.  On 
the  north  it  looks  beyond  "  The  Belt  "  into  the  policies  of  Gordon 
Castle  ;  immediately  to  the  east  rises,  in  easy  ascent,  the  dark  pine 
wood  that  clothes  "  White  Ash  "  ;  the  panorama  of  the  Spey  spreads 
its  charms  towards  the  south  ;  while,  to  the  west,  it  commands  a  bird's- 
eye  view  of  Fochabers,  to  which  it  stands  as  the  "  Alma  Mater." 

The  people  of  Fochabers  may  well  be  pardoned  if  they  exhibit 
feelings  of  pride  in  "  The  Institution."  This  feeling  of  regard  for  the 
School  is  a  very  well-defined  one,  and  strangers,  far  from  the  banks  of 
Spey,  are  apt  to  smile  at  the  somewhat  glorified  picture  of  his  old 
school  drawn  by  some  enthusiastic  old  pupil  of  "  Milne's."  Within 
the  village  itself  the  great  bulk  of  the  householders  are  old  pupils,  and 
still  a  few  are  left  who  can  proudly  point  out  to  the  ignorant  the  spot 


58  The  Gordon  Book 

where  was  laid  the  first  stone,  and  who  can  recall  the  events  that 
centre  in  their  minds  round  that  foundation  ceremony. 

All  honour  to  the  man  who  furnished  the  means  of  founding  this 
seat  of  learning,  this  link  binding  the  present  generation  to  the  past, 
this  anchor,  in  some  cases,  amid  the  stress  of  life  !  Alexander  Milne 
was  born  in  Fochabers  about  the  year  1742.  He  was  for  a  time  a 
servant  at  Gordon  Castle,  but  quitted  the  service  of  his  Grace  to  go 
to  America — the  result,  if  report  be  true,  of  his  independent  spirit. 
Those  were  the  days  when  the  perruque  was  still  worn,  and  the  story 
goes  that,  on  the  change  of  fashion,  the  Duke  ordered  his  domestic  to 
cut  his  queue.  Milne  had  a  mind  to  wear  his  hair  as  he  thought  fit, 
and  his  Grace  to  be  obeyed,  so  they  parted,  Milne  going  to  push  his 
fortunes  across  the  seas.  But  the  "  bountiful  blind  woman  "  did  not 
smile  on  him  for  some  time,  and  this  wooer  of  Fortune  is  said,  as  in 
the  case  of  Goldsmith,  to  have  played  his  way  through  some  cities, 
and  afterwards  to  have  opened  business  on  the  American  streets  as  a 
vendor  of  small  lamps,  a  wheelbarrow  containing  all  his  stock-in-trade. 
Be  that  as  it  may,  he  seems  to  have  been  possessed  of  alert  sagacity 
and  true  Scot's  grit,  and  Fortune  eventually  opened  to  him  her  bounti- 
ful hand. 

It  was  in  New  Orleans  that  he  settled,  and  there,  after  amassing-  a 
considerable  fortune,  he  died  in  October,  1838,  at  the  age  of  96.  Having 
had  a  hard  struggle  with  fortune,  he  was  probably  even  stern  in  his  ideas 
as  to  how  business  should  be  conducted.  A  relative,  whom  he  had  set 
up  in  business  for  himself  in  America,  one  day  proposed  taking  a  short 
holiday.  But  "holiday"  was  no  word  in  the  old  man's  business  voca- 
bulary, and  he  is  reported  immediately  to  have  retorted:  "  If  you  wish 
a  holiday,  then  bring-  me  the  key." 

Fochabers  was  by  no  means  the  only  place  which  participated  in 
the  result  of  his  labours.  His  money  was  bequeathed  in  many  a  deserv- 
ing way,  and  in  the  State  of  Louisiana  alone  he  gave  the  means  of 
founding  and  endowing  no  fewer  than  four  asylums  for  destitute  orphan 


Milne's  Institution  59 

boys  and  girls.  The  share  left  to  his  native  place  at  one  time  trembled 
in  the  balance  of  the  law  courts.  In  the  will,  no  one  had  been  nomi- 
nated to  receive  the  legacy  of  100,000  dollars  assigned  to  Fochabers, 
and,  when  the  Duke  of  Richmond  as  Superior  and  Feudal  Lord,  and 
Alexander  Marquis  as  Baron  Bailie,  became  plaintiffs  for  the  legacy 
before  the  Court  of  Probate,  they  lost  on  the  double  ground  that  they 
were  aliens,  and  that  they  lacked  authority  to  receive  the  money.  The 
matter,  however,  was  not  allowed  to  rest  here  ;  but  his  Grace,  appealing 
to  the  Supreme  Court,  had  judgment  given  in  his  favour  on  15th  March, 
1 84 1.  It  has  been  well  said  that  this  may  well  be  held  as  Founders' 
Day  in  commemoration  of  a  gift  in  which  a  Duke  and  an  old  family 
servant  were  so  intimately,  and,  indeed,  romantically  associated. 

It  was  fitting  that  the  Duke  and  his  Commissioner  should  have 
been  appointed  two  of  the  five  ex-officio  Directors  of  the  first  Board, 
and  that  they  remain  so  under  the  Endowments  Commissioners'  scheme 
ol  1888.  The  other  cx-officio  Directors  under  the  first  scheme  were 
the  Baron  Bailie,  the  Sheriff  of  Elgin,  and  the  Parish  Minister.  The 
remaining  three  were  to  be  elected  by  the  feuars  of  Bellie.  The  first 
meeting  of  Directors  was  held  on  23rd  August,  1843,  when  the  building 
arrangements  were  at  once  entered  upon.  The  estimated  cost  was  over 
,£3,000,  and  it  approached  nearly  to  .£4,000  before  completion. 

The  more  one  examines  the  edifice,  the  more  surprising  does  it 
seem  that  this  magnificent  pile  could  have  been  reared  for  so  compara- 
tively trifling  a  sum.  The  fine  stone,  the  solid  masonry,  and  the  wealth 
of  delicate  carving  give  the  impression  that,  at  the  present  day  at  least, 
the  whole  legacy  would  have  been  required  for  the  building  alone.  It 
certainly  is  a  standing  tribute  to  the  taste  and  ability  of  the  architect, 
Mr.  Thomas  McKenzie,  Elgin. 

It  was  felt  that  the  opening  ceremony  could  be  discharged  by  no 
one  but  by  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  who,  in  addition  to  the  interest  dis- 
played to  so  much  advantage,  had  granted  the  site  for  the  building. 
The  rest  of  the  work  was  accordingly  pushed  forward,  a  portion  of   the 


60  The  Gordon  Book 

east  wing,  just  adjoining  the  door  of  the  Rector's  house,  being  left  un- 
built in  order  to  have  the  foundation-stone  laid  there  when  his  Grace 
should  come  in  the  autumn. 

It  was  on  the  3rd  September,  1845,  that  this  interesting  ceremony 
took  place.  Some  of  the  older  inhabitants  still  point  out  this  stone, 
beneath  which  is  buried  the  record  of  the  Institution's  history.  The 
day  was  one  of  rejoicing,  and,  in  the  evening,  those  who  had  been 
associated  in  the  work  of  building,  celebrated  the  event  around  the 
festive  board. 

The  Monday  of  November,  1846,  on  which  the  school  was  opened, 
was  another  gala  day  in  the  community.  The  directors,  teachers,  and 
pupils,  inhabitants  of  Fochabers,  and  strangers  from  the  surrounding 
towns  and  villages,  mustered  in  the  Square,  and,  headed  by  Fochabers 
Instrumental  Band,  filed  off  in  procession  to  the  school.  The  road  was 
crowded  with  townspeople  and  strangers,  while  within  the  building  was 
assembled  a  large  audience,  which  completely  filled  the  spacious  hall 
and  two  side  rooms  connected  therewith,  the  gallery  being  thronged  with 
ladies,  amongst  whom  were  the  Duchess  of  Richmond  and  the  Ladies 
Caroline  Augusta  and  Cecilia  Gordon- Lennox.  In  his  opening  speech 
his  Grace  sketched  the  career  of  the  founder  of  the  Institution,  who  left, 
"  poor  in  purse  but  rich  in  persevering  industry,"  in  order  to  push  his 
fortunes  in  the  Far  West. 

Milne's  Institution  forms  a  fitting  monument  to  the  memory  of  this 
benevolent  Scotsman,  for  not  only  with  regard  to  the  building  might 
"  circumspice "  be  the  command  proudly  written  for  the  visitor,  but 
throughout  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  men  of  note  in  every 
sphere  of  life  may  be  found  who  owed  their  early  education  to  this 
northern  seminary,  and  who  have  realised  the  aim  of  the  school,  as 
defined  by  his  Grace  in  addressing  the  pupils  on  that  opening  day, 
when  he  claimed  as  its  function  "  the  fostering  of  habits  of  regularity, 
mental  excellence,  honest  industry,  and  virtuous  conduct  ;  the  rendering 
them  obedient  to  the  lawful  authorities,  and  worthy  of  sharing  the 
privileges  of  a  free  and  enlightened  country." 


Milne's  Institution  61 

In  the  educational  world  "  Milne's  Institution"  has  always  been  a 
name  suggestive  of  sound  education  and  genuine  scholarship  ;  while,  as 
a  boarding  establishment,  it  has  a  wide  repute.  In  the  days  when,  in 
most  places,  secondary  education  was  unknown,  this  school  was  one 
of  the  best  known  in  Scotland  as  a  stepping-stone  to  the  University,  and 
attracted  pupils  from  far  and  near.  Within  the  first  three  years,  several 
bursaries  were  gained,  the  first  fruits  of  a  long  list  of  successes  of  which 
any  school  might  well  be  proud.  The  last  Prospectus  issued  contains 
the  following  information  : — 

During  the  last  fifteen  years,  pupils  going  directly  from  the  Institution  have 
gained  in  open  competition  at  the  University  of  Aberdeen  over  Sixty  Bursaries, 
representing  a  sum  of  over  £900,  tenable  for  four  years  ;  and,  in  their  after 
curriculum,  several  of  them  have  taken  highest  honours,  and  gained  the  most 
valuable  prizes  and  scholarships  in  the  University.  The  following  places  have 
been  taken  in  the  Aberdeen  University  Bursary  Competition  lists  during  the 
above  period  : — 1st,  2nd,  5th,  6th,  7th,  9th,  10th,  nth,  12th,  14th,  15th,  16th,  17th, 
1 8th,  &c.  Within  a  period  of  eight  years  the  following  Open  Scholarships  and 
Prizes  at  the  University  were  gained  by  old  boys  of  Milne's  Institution  : — 

The  Simpson  Greek  Prize  of  ,£65. 

The  Simpson  Mathematical  Prize  of  £6$. 

The  Boxhill  Mathematical  Prize  of  £2$  (twice). 

Dr.  Black's  Prize  for  Latin,  ,£28. 

Neil  Arnott  Prize  for  Physics,  ,£35. 

Jenkyns  Prize  for  Classical  Philosophy,  £S. 

Seafield  Gold  Medal  for  Latin. 

Town  Council  Gold  Medal  (three  times). 

The  Alexander  Murray  Scholarship,  £70. 

The  John  Murray  Medal  and  Scholarship  (three  times).  £70. 

The  Thompson  Fellowship  (twice). 

The  Fullerton,  Moir,  and  Gray  Scholarships,  £  100. 

Many  of  the  former  pupils  occupy  important  positions  in    Her   Majesty's  Civil 
Service,  the  commercial  world,  and  all  the  professions. 

In   the   recent  Civil   Service  examination  for  Girl   Clerkships,    an    old 
pupil,  who  left  the  Institution  last  year,  took  the  first  place. 

The  desire  for  advanced  education  is  a  feature  perhaps  more  charac- 
teristic of  the  North  of  Scotland  than  of  the  South.      Several  pupils  still 


62  The  Gordon  Book 

walk  from  three  to  four  miles  to  the  Institution  in  order  to  have  the 
advantage  of  secondary  education,  while  two  miles  is  thought  nothing 
of.  Others,  again,  from  the  Orbliston  direction,  now  have  the  advantage 
of  the  branch  railway,  and  come  by  train,  who,  under  the  old  regime, 
would  also  have  required  "  to  take  up  their  own  carriages  "  and  walk  to 
school.  To  walk  a  total  daily  distance  of  eight  or  nine  miles  for  the 
sake  of  higher  education,  in  itself  bespeaks  an  earnest  desire  to  succeed 
in  life.  This  spirit  must  react  on  pupils  living  in  closer  proximity  to  the 
school,  and  herein  undoubtedly  lies  one  of  the  secrets  ol  its  success. 
In  the  most  remote  days,  again,  families  were  attracted  to  this  centre 
from  surrounding  counties,  as  the  best  education  was  within  the  reach 
of  all  at  "  Milne's  Free  School."  And  thus  were  drafted  into  the  village 
many  families  whose  members  were  all  imbued  with  a  desire  to  succeed, 
and  whose  aim  at  the  close  of  their  school  career  was  to  take  a  high 
place  in  the  University  Bursary  List.  The  adjoining  seaport  villages, 
too,  then  as  now,  were  amongst  the  places  which  sent  in  pupils  who,  if 
if  they  did  not  go  to  College,  perhaps  became  trustworthy  captains 
known  on  the  high  seas.  With  all  these  causes  at  work  in  the  scatter- 
ing abroad  over  the  country  of  old  pupils,  one  ceases  to  be  surprised  to 
learn  that,  of  a  small  drawing-room  party  which  lately  met  one  evening 
in  a  southern  county,  no  fewer  than  five  of  those  assembled  accidentally 
discovered  that  they  had  each  a  connection  with  Milne's  Institution. 

It  is  a  pleasing  feature  about  the  associations  of  the  school,  and  an 
encouraging  one  for  those  who  labour  there,  that  so  many  old  pupils  re- 
visit their  old  training  ground.  In  every  case  a  degree  of  enthusiasm 
is  manifested  that  cheers  the  heart  of  the  reigning  Rector.  The  men 
who  have  successively  acted  as  Headmasters  of  this  school  have  been 
well-known  educationists,  and  it  is  only  necessary  to  mention  such  names 
as  Dr.  Robert  Ogilvie,  late  H.M.  Chief  Inspector  for  Scotland, 
Mr.  A.  R.  Andrew,  and  Mr.  A.  Lobban,  H.M.  Inspectors  of  Schools, 
to  guarantee  the  calibre  of  the  men  looked  for  to  fill  this  important  post. 
It  is  surely  a  high   tribute  to   those  educators  of   youth,   and   bespeaks 


Milne's  Institution,  Fochabers. 

From  a  Photograph  by  Mr.  William  Wishart,  M.A.,  B.Sc,  the  Rector. 


Milne's  Institution  63 

noble  ideals  of  education  that,  while  the  stories  of  bygone  school  days 
take  on  a  different  hue  according  to  the  regime  under  which  the  narrator 
spent  his  pupilage,  the  spirit  of  love  for  the  old  school  and  veneration 
for  the  then  Rector  remain  in  the  hearts  of  the  old  scholars.  Many  a 
story  these  tell  of  doughty  deeds  done  in  held  and  wood,  on  the  river, 
or  in  the  quiet  village.  Nor  are  stories  awanting,  we  may  be  sure,  of 
many  a  boyish  prank  played  even  in  the  sanctum  sanctorum  of  the 
Rector's  Room.  But  while  the  listener — perhaps  a  new  Rector— good- 
humouredly  hearing  those  tales,  mentally  makes  allowances  for  boyish 
reminiscences,  his  heart  warms  as  he  hears  this  old  pupil,  and  now  dis- 
tinguished man,  do  honour  to  the  name  of  the  Rector  of  that  day  ;  and, 
as  the  visitor  becomes  "  the  lad  o'  pairts  "  again,  calling  up  incidents 
connected  with  the  "  Bursary  Comp.,"  this  teacher  of  the  young  feels 
that  some  men  at  this  seat  of  learning  must  have  succeeded  in  educating, 
in  Locke's  sense  of  the  word,  having  produced  sound  minds  in  sound 
bodies.  This  seems  to  have  been  the  ideal  aimed  at  throughout  the 
whole  history  of  the  Institution,  and  is  still  the  watchword  of  the  teach- 
ing staff. 

The  Governors  have  done  their  part  by  careful  and  judicious 
management.  A  Science  School  and  Workshop  have  recently  been 
added  to  the  buildings,  and  in  other  ways  every  effort  has  been  made 
to  keep  abreast  of  the  times  ;  and,  as  the  natural  charms  of  the  place 
remain  unabated,  it  is  still  much  sought  out  as  a  rearing  ground,  healthy 
alike  for  body  and  mind. 

W I L  L I A  M     \  V I S  H  A  R  T . 


I   take  my  rise  where  the  mountains 

Blush  with  the  kiss  of  dawn  ; 
Where  the  mist  of  the  sweating  valleys, 

On  the  wings  of  the  wind  is  borne. 

Where  the  moorland  meets  the  mountain 
And  the  red-grouse  whirr  in  tune  ; 

1  hrough   rocks  as  grey  as  the  Judgment-day, 
My  baby  course  is  hewn. 

And  ever  with  gathering  volume, 

Ever  with  swifter  now, 
The  creamy  foam   of  my  peaty  home 

I  toss  to  the  fields  below. 

Down,  far  down,  to  the  lowlands, 
Where  the  alders  touch  the  sky, 

And  my  banks  are  the  rabbits'  play-ground, 
And  the  gulls  and  the  pee-whits  cry. 

But  on,  far  on,  in  the  lowlands, 

My  swiftness  does  not  tire  ; 
And   I   toss  my  granite  pebbles, 

Till  they  crackle  like  gorse  afire. 

And  ever  I  cut  new  channels, 

Ever  I  wider  range, 
For  my  will  is  a  wayward  woman's, 

Changeless  only  in  change. 

1  ill,  like  the  wayward  woman, 

Wayward  however  she  be, 
1    find  my  lord  and  master, 

And  rest  in  my  love — -the  sea. 


T.   F, 


Zhe  jfocbabevs  of  Hnotber  Ba^. 

■I 


T 


The  Whipping  Post  and  Jougs 
at  Fochabers. 


HE  following  lines  arc  peculiarly  descriptive 
of  the  lower  reaches  of  the  Spey  ircm 
Beat  o'  Brig  to  Tugnet  a  distance  of 
about  nine  miles,  in  which  the  fall  of  the 
river  is  about  150  feet : — 

Oft  both  slope  and  hill  are  torn 
Where  wintry  torrents  down  have  borne, 
And  heaped  upon  the  cumbered  land 
Its  wreck  of  gravel,  rocks,  and  sand. 

For  seme  miles  below  Boat  o'  Brig 
the  right  bank  of  the  river  is  composed 
of  old  red  sandstone  conglomerate,  rising 
to  a  height  of  from  60  to  90  feet  above 
the  river,  being  in  a  few  spots  almost 
perpendicular,  but  generally  at  a  slope 
of  about  45  degrees. 

This  conglomerate  is  capped  by  a 
deposit  of  boulder  clay,  and  near  the 
mouth  of  the  Burn  of  Aultdarg  are  seen 
many  peculiar  pinnacles  of  rock,  showing 
the  remarkable  irregularity  of  erosion. 

The  left  bank  of  the  river,  from  Boat 
o'  Brig  until  within  a  short  distance  of 
the  Bridge  of  Fochabers,  consists  of 
gravel  and  alluvial  deposits,  terminating 
in  the  fertile  "  haugh "  of  Dipple,  im- 
mediately below  which  the  escarpment 
of  the  old  red  sandstone  becomes  a 
prominent  feature  in  the  landscape 


66  The  Gordon   Book 

Below  the  Bridge  of  Fochabers  the  "  wreck  of  gravel,  rocks,  and 
sand"  becomes  very  evident,  even  to  the  most  indifferent  observer. 
Here  the  result  of  ages  of  erosion  of  the  older  rocks  of  the  Grampian 
range  is  heaped  up  in  the  shape  of  vast  ridges  of  boulders,  torn  from 
their  matrix  by  the  floods  of  countless  ages. 

It  is  here  that  the  river  meets  with  its  first  real  resistance  since 
it  left  the  wilds  of  Badenoch.  During  heavy  floods  the  boulders 
brought  down  from  the  upper  reaches  accumulate  in  ridges,  which  are 
sometimes  at  an  acute  angle  to  the  flow  of  the  river.  Eventually  the 
stones  composing  these  ridges  become  packed  and  consolidated,  and 
when  a  heavy  flood  subsequently  occurs  the  opposition  to  the  current 
is  so  strong  that  the  mass  of  water,  taking  the  "line  of  least  resistance," 
cuts  an  entirely  new  channel  in  a  very  short  space  of  time.  A  few 
hours  sometimes  suffices  to  effect  this,  and  thus  it  happens  that  a 
splendid  salmon  pool  becomes  in  a  short  space  of  time  almost  the  dry 
bed  of  the  river.  It  will  thus  be  seen  that,  with  a  river  possessing  the 
characteristics  of  the  Spey,  the  difficulties  of  finding  a  suitable  ferry 
are  very  considerable,  and,  except  during  the  summer  months,  fording 
the  river  is  out  of  the  question. 

The  right  bank  of  the  river,  opposite  the  escarpment  of  the  old 
red  sandstone  at  Dipple,  consists  of  a  raised  platform  of  gravel,  covered 
with  a  deposit  of  alluvium,  the  maximum  elevation  above  the  river 
being  40  to  50  feet,  and  the  width  about  a  mile. 

On  the  northern  edge  of  this  platform  stood  the  ancient  town  of 
Fochabers,  a  small  portion  of  the  town  having  been  below  the  "  brae," 
and  close  to  the  ferry  known  as  the  "  Boat  o'  Bog." 

The  town  consisted  of  one  long  street,  with  several  side  streets 
of  considerable  length,  and  must  have  been  much  more  picturesque 
in  appearance  than  the  modern  town  of  the  same  name,  which  is  about 
half  a  mile  southwards,  on  the  same  plateau.  As  at  present,  the 
high  road  from  Aberdeen  to  the  north  passed  through  Fochabers. 

It  is  very  evident  that  the  founders  of  the  place  did  not  choose 


The  Fochabers  of  another  Day  67 

the  site  for  strategical  reasons,  for  the  left  bank  of  the  river  is  of 
considerable  elevation,  and  offered  a  more  secure  position  to  the 
inhabitants. 

One  of  the  earliest  historic  records  in  connection  with  Fochabers 
relates  that,  in  11 50,  King  David  the  First  gave  to  the  Priory  of 
Urquhart  certain  lands,  together  with  the  fishings  in  the  Spey,  which 
belonged  to  the  people  of  Fochabers. 

It  is  somewhat  remarkable  that  the  monks  of  old  did  not  select 
Fochabers  as  a  site  for  a  priory  or  a  monastery.  Here  was  an  ideal 
spot,  a  rich,  fertile  soil,  an  excellent  climate,  and  a  supply  of  salmon 
unequalled  in  the  kingdom,  and  yet  the  only  record  of  an  ecclesiastical 
edifice  is  that  John  Hay  of  Tullyboyle,  who  in  1362  had  a  charter  of 
the  Bog  of  Gicht,  founded  a  chapel  at  the  Geth  (Gicht)  in  honour  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  and  All  Saints.  Of  this  edifice  not  a  trace  remains, 
although  it  was  doubtless  situated  close  to  the  mansion  of  the  "  Gude- 
man  of  the  Bog." 

The  lands  of  Fochabers,  in  the  fourteenth  and  fifteenth  centuries, 
belonged  to  the  lairds  of  Grant  and  their  relations.  In  139 1  Gilbert 
of  Glencarnie  exchanged  with  Dunbar,  Earl  of  Moray,  his  paternal  in- 
heritance for  the  lands  of  the  two  Fochabers,  and  in  1398  he  sold  them 
to  the  former  proprietor,  the  said  Thomas  of  Dunbar,  Earl  of  Moray, 
for  "/ioo  sterling  of  the  usuale  monay  of  Scotland." 

In  the  agreement  for  the  sale,  dated  at  Elgin,  26th  March,  1398, 
the  seller  is  described  as  Gilbert  of  Glencherny,  then  "  Lord  of 
Fochabirris."  In  1434  Sir  Duncan  Grant  of  Freuchie  is  described  as 
being  possessed  of  the  two  Fochabers.  The  appellation  probably  arose 
from  the  fact  that  part  of  the  village  was  above  the  Brae,  the  other 
part  below  it. 

In  1598  the  town  was  made  a  burgh  of  barony  by  James  VI.  of 
Scotland,  but  it  docs  not  appear  that  the  privileges  and  profits  with 
which  the  inhabitants  were  thereby  endowed  resulted  in  any  great 
stimulus  to  its  trade. 


68  The  Gordon   Book 

In  the  early  part  of  the  eighteenth  century  the  trade  of  weaving 
was  actively  carried  on,  and  continued  until  the  removal  of  the  town 
to  its  present  site.  This  took  place  towards  the  close  of  the  century, 
the  present  Parish  Church  having  been  opened  on  the  29th  October, 
1797. 

When  Dr.  Johnson  passed  through  Fochabers,  in  August,  1773, 
the  village  was  described  as  being  a  poor  place,  many  of  the  houses 
being  ruinous,  but  it  was  noted  as  remarkable  that  the  inhabitants  had 
orchards  well  stocked  with  apple  trees. 

The  ruinous  condition  of  the  houses  may  have  been  owing  to  the 
approaching  removal  of  the  place  to  the  new  site,  for  in  a  very  in- 
teresting account  of  the  Rebellion  of  1745,  by  Mr.  James  Ray,  of 
Whitehaven,  he  described  the  town  as  consisting  mostly  of  one  long 
street,  with  several  good  houses.  He  observed  that,  as  the  Royal 
army  passed  through,  there  were  "  people  of  fashion  "  looking  at 
them,  "but  not  one  person  "  to  wish  them  success. 

This  observation  as  to  the  anti-Royalist  tendency  is  confirmed 
by  the  fact  that,  in  a  list  of  persons  named  as  being  concerned  in  the 
Rebellion,  the  number  in  Fochabers  was  25,  whereas  Banff  boasted  of 
9,  and  Cullen  7.  Of  the  number,  about  half  a  dozen  were  weavers, 
two  were  wigmakers,  the  rest  salmon-fishers,  blacksmiths,  and  so  on. 
Among  the  names  are  found: — Clapperton,  Hay,  Innes,  Bremner, 
Duncan,  Forbes,  which  are  familiar  surnames  in  the  district  at  the 
present  time. 

For  very  many  years  Fochabers  and  the  neighbouring  districts 
were  the  strongholds  of  Roman  Catholicism  in  the  North  of  Scotland. 
The  inhabitants  could  in  safety  cultivate  their  faith  while  the  powerful 
influence  of  the  ducal  house  of  Gordon  was  on  their  side,  and  in  later 
years,  when  the  ducal  house  was  no  longer  Catholic,  times  had  changed, 
and  the  Presbyterial  citations  could  be  disregarded  with  impunity. 

The  records  of  the  Presbytery  of  Fordyce  bristle  with  expressions 
of  regret  at  the  spread  of  Popery.       In    1704  they   record  that   there 


The  only  remaining  House  of  Old  Fochabers. 

This  building,  now  used  as  a  Fruit  Room,  stands  in  the  Kitchen  Garden  of  Gordon  Castle. 


The  Fochabers  of  another  Day  69 

were  362  Papists  above  seven  years  of  age  in  the  parish  of  Bellie. 
At  that  time  they  seem  to  have  been  well  provided  with  spiritual 
teachers,  for  in  September,  17 16,  the  Presbytery  of  Elgin  gave  utter- 
ance to  a  loud  wail  at  the  wickedness  of  the  Fochaberians.  They 
complained  that  Mr.  Alexander  Smith  kept  a  meeting-house  in  the 
town,  and  officiated  as  chaplain  to  the  Marquis  of  Huntly  ;  that  he 
prayed  not  for  King  George,  but  for  the  Pretender.  They  further 
bewailed  the  fact  that  Mr.  James  Gordon,  Mr.  Patrick  Frazer, 
Mr.  Reid,  Mr.  Douglas,  and  Mr.  Irvine,  priests,  "do  keep  public 
meetings  for  worship  in  the  town."  These  were  a  few  of  the  grievances 
which  the  Presbytery  "groaned  under,"  and  from  which  they  prayed 
the  authorities  to  deliver  them. 

In  that  very  interesting  work  of  the  late  Captain  Dunbar,  "  Social 
Life  in  Former  Days''  there  is  published,  in  a  chapter  on  "  Cattle 
Lifting,"  a  declaration  by  Hugh  Thaine,  messenger  in  Fochabers, 
which  shows  the  condition  of  things  in  Strathspey  at  the  close  of  the 
seventeenth  century.  The  said  Hugh  having  been  sent  to  serve  a 
citation  on  the  Laird  of  Grant,  as  answerable  for  his  clan  having  lifted 
cattle  belonging  to  Sir  Robert  Gordon,  was  waylaid  in  Coolnakyle, 
together  with  his  three  men,  Peter  Morison,  Fochabers  ;  John 
M'Edwart,  Glenrinnes  ;  and  Alex.  Bogtoun.  The  poor  fellows,  after 
being  robbed,  were  threatened  with  instant  death,  and  were  finally 
bound  with  ropes  and  left  to  their  fate.  They  remained  four  days 
and  three  nights  before  they  were  relieved.  After  such  treatment  poor 
Hugh  Thaine's  declaration  that,  "  by  reason  of  sickness  and  unabilitie 
of  body,  haveing  beine  now  sex  or  seven  weeks  wery  unabell  bv  reason 
of  the  hard  usage  I  mett  with  in  Strathspey  to  goe  the  length  of 
Edinburgh,"  may  well  be  believed,  and  he  prayed  the  Lords  of  the 
Privy  Council  to  punish  the  evildoers. 

The  records  of  the  old  town  of  Fochabers  would,  doubtless,  show 
that  many  stirring  scenes  had  been  witnessed  in  its  streets,  but  time 
and  space  do  not  permit  of  illustrating  any  of  these. 


7o 


The  Gordon  Book 


This  short  notice  of  the  ancient  town  must  close  with  a  brief 
memoir  of  two  of  its  natives,  who  deserve  a  word  of  recognition,  their 
birthplace  being  within  a  stone's-throw  of  the  spot  where  the  Bazaar 
is  being  held. 


William  flfoarsball,  tbe  Composer  of 
5tratbepe\>6. 

W7ILLIAM  MARSHALL  was  born  in  Fochabers  in  1748,  and 
*  *  was  the  third  son  of  a  large  family,  his  parents  being  in  humble 
circumstances.  It  is  stated  that  he  learnt  the  business  of  a  clock- 
maker,  and  in  another  account  of  his  life  it  is  mentioned  that  he 
entered  the  service  of  Alexander,  Duke  of  Gordon,  at  twelve  years  of 
age,  and  that  he  was  able  to  attend  school  only  for  six  months.  He 
was  possessed  of  great  natural  talent,  and  at  an  early  age  showed 
considerable  skill  in  music.  In  personal  appearance,  Marshall  was  a 
well-built,  handsome  man,  and  an  excellent  athlete.  Not  many  years 
after  entering  the  service  of  the  Duke  of  Gordon  he  was  appointed 
House  Steward,  and  resided  at  Gordon  Castle  tor  many  years,  leaving 
in  1790  to  occupy  a  farm  near  Fochabers.  A  year  or  two  later  he 
became  tenant  of  the  farm  of  Keithmore,  Mortlach,  and  was  also 
appointed  factor  to  the  Duke's  estate. 

Marshall  seems  to  have  been  a  universal  genius.  He  made  con- 
siderable progress  in  the  study  of  astronomy,  mathematics,  and 
mechanics.  He  was  a  capable  architect,  and  land  surveying  was  a 
favourite  amusement.  He  has  left  as  a  splendid  example  of  his 
mechanical  skill,  a  clock,  which  he  presented  to  the  Duke  of  Gordon, 
and  which  is  still  at  Gordon  Castle.  This  clock  indicates  the  days 
and     months,    the    moon's    age,     the     sun's     declination,    and    other 


J2  The  Gordon  Book 

phenomena.  Although  an  extremely  busy  man,  he  was  an  excellent 
angler,  and  understood  the  art  of  falconry. 

But  it  is  as  a  musician  that  Marshall's  name  is  so  familiar  to 
every  lover  of  Scottish  music.  As  a  fiddler  he  was  well-known  in  the 
north,  before  he  became  famous  as  a  composer.  On  one  occasion  he 
was  dining  with  some  friends,  when  a  blind  minstrel  came  under  the 
window  and  began  to  play.  When  he  had  finished,  one  of  the  com- 
pany told  him  that  they  had  a  "  loon  "  among  the  party  who  was  a 
learner,  and  as  he  (the  blind  fiddler)  had  delighted  them,  it  was  only 
right  that  the  "  loon  "  should  give  him  a  tune  in  return.  The  minstrel 
handed  up  his  fiddle,  which  Marshall  took,  and  played  several  Strath- 
speys. When  asked  what  he  thought  of  the  learner's  quality,  the  old 
minstrel  earnestly  replied — uNa,  na,  that's  nae  a  'loon's'  playin': 
I'll  wager  a  groat  that's  Marshall  o'  Keithmore  ;  there's  naebody  else 
hereaboots  cud  play  like  that."  Marshall  was  a  prolific  composer  of 
Strathspeys  and  reels,  and  thousands  who  have  never  even  heard  his 
name  are  fired  with  energy  when  fiddle  or  bagpipes  give  utterance  to 
his  compositions.  Among  his  earlier  compositions  are  the  "  Duke  of 
Gordon's  Birthday"  and  "  Miss  Admiral  Gordon."  To  the  latter  Burns 
wrote  the  words,  "  O'  a'  the  airts  the  wind  can  blaw."  This  air  alone 
will  last  as  long  as  Scottish  melody  has  any  claim  to  existence. 

Marshall's  musical  compositions,  like  Burns'  poetry,  seem  to  have 
been  "thrown  off"  in  fits  of  momentary  inspiration,  and  were  dis- 
tinctively characteristic  of  the  man.  After  many  years'  occupation  of 
the  farm  of  Keithmore,  Marshall  retired  to  Newfield  Cottage,  Danda- 
leith,  where  he  died  on  29th  May,  1833,  in  his  85th  year. 

He  was  buried  in  the  churchyard  of  Bellie,  where  also  lie  the 
remains  of  his  wife,  Jean  Giles,  to  whom  he  was  married  at  the  age  of 
25,  and  who  predeceased  him^by  nine  years. 


i'i'Hi'|i|i|i|i|i|i|i|i|i|i|i|i|iii|i|i|i|i|i|i|i|i|i|i|i |l|l|l|l|l|lil|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|lilIW 


|l|l|l|l|l|'l'|l|'|l|lill'|l|lll|IIWJTiTil|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l|l| Iilil I 


(Beorge  Chalmers,  tbc  Hutbor  of  "Galebonia/' 

T^OCHABERS  has  produced  at  least  one  notable  writer,  in  the 
A  person  of  George  Chalmers.  Born  in  Fochabers  in  1742,  lie 
was  a  grandson  of  George  Chalmers  of  Pittensear,  a  small  estate  in 
the  parish  of  Lhanbryde. 

He  completed  a  course  at  King's  College,  Aberdeen,  and  after- 
wards studied  law  in  Edinburgh.  Having  several  relatives  in  America, 
he  settled  there  in  1763,  and  practised  as  a  lawyer  in  Baltimore.  On 
the  outbreak  of  the  War  of  Independence,  he  espoused  the  Royalist 
cause,  and  eventually  found  it  expedient  to  return  to  his  native 
country.  In  1786  he  was  appointed  Clerk  to  the  Board  of  Trade, 
a  position  which  he   held  until   his  death  in   1825. 

He  was  a  member  of  the  Royal  and  Antiquarian  Societies,  and 
was  a  voluminous  writer.  No  fewer  than  thirty-three  works  stand  to 
his  credit.      Some  of  his  more  important  works  were  : — ■ 

"  An  Estimate  of  the  Comparative  Strength  of  Britain  during  the  Present 
and  Four  Preceding  Reigns." 

"  A  Life  of  Queen  Mary." 

"  Political  Annals  of  the  Present  United  Colonies,  from  their  Settlement  to 
the  Peace  of  1763." 

His  magnum  opus  was  "  Caledonia,  the  Early  History  and  Anti- 
quities of  Scotland."  The  first  volume  of  this  work  was  published 
in  1807,  and  two  more  volumes  were  completed  and  published  during 
his  lifetime — one  in  1820  and  the  other  in  1824.  The  fourth  and  last 
volume  was  nearly  read}-  for  the  press  at  his  death  in  1825,  an<3  it 
10 


74  The  Gordon  Book 

was  published  in  1826.  This  work  is  an  exhaustive  historical  and 
topographical  account  of  North  Britain,  from  the  most  ancient  to 
recent  times.  Dr.  /Eneas  Mackay,  while  admitting  that  the  Cale- 
donia has  not  stood  the  test  of  time,  and  that  it  is  below  the  standard 
of  Camden's  "  Britannia,"  says  that  "  to  have  composed  what  is, 
though  never  completed,  the  fullest  account  of  the  antiquities  of  a 
nation  which  has  specially  cultivated  that  department  of  history,  is  a 
merit  not  to  be  despised."  There  is  no  doubt  that  subsequent  writers 
have  borrowed  from  Chalmers  without  acknowledging  their  obligations. 
In  closing  this  brief  memoir,  the  hope  is  expressed  that  some 
worthy  son  of  Fochabers  may  be  found  who  is  desirous  of  presenting, 
as  a  valuable  addition  to  the  library  of  the  Institute,  a  copy  of  his 
books,  the  Caledonia  in  particular. 

John   W.  Webster. 


fZbe  (Soubons  as  Campaigners    | 
tit  Hfrtca.  1 


TN  the  mighty  task  of  annexing  Africa,  this  country  owes  a  deep  debt 
to  the  House  of  Gordon.  The  campaign  which  has  just  finished, 
and  in  which  five  members  of  the  Duke  of  Richmond's  family  took 
part,  affords  a  useful  opportunity  for  remembering  the  fact.  It  was  a 
Gordon,  namely,  Robert  Jacob  Gordon,  who  delivered  up  South 
Africa  to  us  in  1795,  when  he  and  his  Dutch  rag-tag  and  bob-tail  army 
surrendered  to  our  army;  while  in  the  north  of  the  Black  Conti- 
nent the  world  will  never  forget  the  inspiring  work  of  "Chinese" 
Gordon  of  Khartum.  The  fates  of  the  two  men  were  curiously  tragic. 
The  Dutchman  at  the  Cape,  who  was  as  much  worried  by  slimness 
as  we  have  been,  committed  suicide  in  1795  ;  while  the  fate  which 
overtook  "  Chinese  "  Gordon  at  Khartum  makes  him  pre-eminently 
the  imperial  martyr  of  the  nineteenth  century.  I  may  note  in  passing 
that  though  nobody  has  settled  "Chinese"  Gordon's  ancestrv,  the 
probability  is  that  he  was  descended  from  the  Gordons  of  Binhall, 
near  Huntly,  who  were  tenants  of  the  Dukes  of  Gordon. 

It  would  be  very  difficult  to  catalogue  all  the  soldiers  bearing 
the  historic  name  of  Gordon  who  have  fought  in  Africa  from  first  to 
last.  In  addition  to  Robert  Jacob  Gordon,  who  was  a  Dutchman, 
and  who  will  always  be  remembered  as  the  discoverer  of  the  Orange 
River,  one  may  recall  as  his  namesake,  Robert  James  Gordon,  who 
was  a  captain  in  our  navy,  and  paid  the  penalty  of  his  hazard  in  South 
Africa  with  his  life.  He  was  the  third  son  of  Captain  Gordon  of 
Everton,  near  Bawtry,  Doncaster.  His  plan  was  to  explore  the  Blue 
Nile  from  Sennaar ;  but  he  never  got  a  start,  for  he  died  at  Wilet 
Medinet,  a   few   days'  journey  from  Sennaar,  27th  September,  1S22 — 


76  The  Gordon  Book 

"  another  victim  to  the  melancholy  list  of  those  who  have  perished  in 
the  cause  of  African  discovery."  Again,  there  was  x\dam  Gordon 
(born  1750),  a  lieutenant  in  the  Cape  Regiment,  who  was  the  son  of 
Adam  of  Griamachary,  Kildonan.  He  was  the  uncle  of  Lord  Gordon 
of  Drumearn,  and  the  grand  uncle  of  the  present  Member  for  Elgin- 
shire, who  with  his  cousin,  Sir  Thomas  Gordon,  has  recently  erected  a 
bronze  in  memory  of  old  Griamachary.  The  family  has  produced 
some  excellent  soldiers. 

I  should  have  liked  if  time  and  space  had  permitted  to  name 
the  Gordons  who  have  figured  in  the  various  campaigns  in  South 
Africa  and  in  Ashanti,  a  list  that  could  be  enormously  swelled  by  deal- 
ing with  the  members  of  the  clan  who  have  fought  from  first  to  last  in 
Egypt.      I  shall  content  myself  here  with  naming  only  a  few. 

One  of  the  Dutch  colonel's  antagonists  at  the  Cape  was  Hugh 
Mackay  Gordon  (who  was  born  at  Boston,  U.S.A.).  In  the  recapture 
of  the  Cape,  in  1805,  the  Hon.  Alexander  Gordon  (son  of  the  Earl  of 
Aberdeen),  who  fell  at  Waterloo,  was  A.D.C.  to  his  uncle,  Sir  David 
Baird.  He  started  out  in  the  following  year  on  the  foolish  expedition 
to  Buenos  Ayres,  in  which  fell  Patrick  Gordon,  Captain  in  the  87th 
Regiment,  who  seems  also  to  have  been  drawn  from  the  South  African 
field  force.  This  Patrick  was  the  son  of  John  Gordon,  W.S.,  the  first 
laird  of  Balmuir,  who,  in  turn,  was  the  son  of  Alexander  Gordon,  the 
laird  of  Auchleuchries.  He  may  have  been  named  after  the  great 
Russian  general,  although,  so  far  as  I  know,  he  was  not  actually  de- 
scended from  him.  Another  member  of  the  same  family,  namely, 
Captain  John  Maxwell  Gordon  of  Bonnyton,  Ayrshire,  fought  in  the 
recent  campaign. 

In  giving  the  list  of  the  officers  who  have  figured  in  the  terrible 
campaign  of  1899-1902,  I  regret  that  I  am  unable  in  certain  cases  to  de- 
tail their  origin,  but  the  mere  list  forms  a  contribution  to  the  glorious 
history  of  the  House.  I  do  not  forget  the  splendid  achievements  of 
the  regiment  which  bears  the  name  of  the  race.      During  the  campaign 


The  Gordons  as  Campaigners  in  Africa  77 

the  Gordon  Highlanders  suffered  very  severely.  They  lost  18  officers 
killed,  28  wounded,  while  one  succumbed  to  disease — -a  total  of  47. 
The  depletion  of  the  non-commissioned  officers  and  men  was  equally 
severe. 

The  regiment  sent  out  3,407  (to  say  nothing  of  476  volunteers). 
The  total  casualties  of  the  entire  force  of  3,883  has  been  608,  namely, 
220  killed  or  died  of  disease,  and  388  wounded.  No  fewer  than  19 
officers,  3  colour-sergeants,  13  sergeants,  2  lance-sergeants,  8 
corporals,  14  lance-corporals,  3  drummers,  and  177  privates  have 
found  a  grave  in  South  Africa.      The  figures  may  be  tabulated  thus: — 

MEN    SENT   OUT. 

1st  Battalion  (including  reservists  and 
3rd  Battalion  (Militia)  reservists, 
and  all  drafts)    l,&33 

2nd  Battalion     1,213 

3rd  Battalion  (Sitwell's  Mounted  In- 
fantry)           68 

Gordons'  Mounted  Infantry    293 

Volunteers  (including  men  from  the 
Six  Vol.  Battalions  of  Gordon 
Volunteers,  London  Scottish,  and 
Liverpool  Scottish)   476 

Total 3,883  220 

Of  the  220  deaths  in  the  regiment,  about  158  of  the  men  belong 
to  Scotland,  76  being  connected  with  Aberdeen  and  the  north.  Of 
the  remainder,  57  were  of  English  birth  (though  not  necessarily  of 
English  parentage),  and  5  were  Irishmen  by  birth. 

During  the  campaign  no  fewer  than  42  officers  bearing  the 
surname  of  Gordon  and  belonging  to  29  different  regiments,  took  part 
in  the  fighting,  as  follows  : — 

EARL  OF  March,  commanded  the  3rd  Royal  Sussex  Regiment. 
He  began  his  career  in  the  Grenadier  Guards.  Served  in  South  Africa, 
1901-1902.      His  three  sons  also  were  at  the  front. 

LORD  SettringTON,  D.S.O.,  Captain,  Irish  Guards,  served  in 
South  Africa  in  1 899-1 900  as  A.D.C.  to  Lord  Roberts.  He  was  present 
at  Paardeberg,  Poplar  Grove,  and  Dreifontcin. 


MEN 

KILLED. 

82  belonged 

to  the 

1st  Battalion. 

93 

1, 

,, 

2nd  Battalion. 

M 

„ 

„ 

Mounted  Infantry. 

1  i 

,, 

„ 

Militia  Reserve. 

6 

„ 

5, 

1st  V.B.G.H. 

4 

,, 

„ 

4th  V.B.G.H. 

2 

,, 

,, 

5th  V.B.G.H. 

„ 

,, 

6th  V.B.G.H. 

6 

J) 

London    Scottish   R.V 

78  The  Gordon  Book 

Hon.  Esme  Charles  Gordon-Lennox,  born  1875,  entered  the 
Scots  Guards  from  the  Militia  in  1896.  He  served  on  the  staff  in  South 
Africa  as  A.D.C.  to  Major-General  Barrington  Campbell. 

Hun.  Bernard  Charles  Gordon-Lennox,  born  1878,  entered 
the  Grenadier  Guards  in  1898.  He  fought  at  Poplar  Grove  and  Drie- 
fontein. 

Lord  Algernon  Gordon-Lennox,  Grenadier  Guards  (brother 
of  Lord  March),  took  part  in  the  Egyptian  campaign  of  1882,  and  was 
present  at  the  battle  of  Tel-el-Kebir.  He  served  in  South  Africa,  1899- 
1900. 

A.  B.  GORDON,  Captain,  King  Williamstown  Guard.  It  is  very 
difficult  to  identify  these  Colonial  officers. 

A.   E.  GORDON,  Captain,  Roberts'  Horse. 

Alexander  Theodore  Gordon,  Lieutenant,  ist  Gordon  High- 
landers. He  is  the  only  son  of  Mr.  A.  M.  Gordon  of  Newton,  Aberdeen- 
shire, and  was  born  in  18S1.  He  joined  the  ist  Gordons  on  30th  June, 
1900. 

ALISTER  Eraser  GORDON,  D.S.O.,  Captain  in  the  Gordon  High- 
landers. Born  in  1872,  he  is  the  son  of  Mr.  William  Alexander  Grant 
Gordon,  brother  of  General  Sir  Benjamin  Lumsden  Gordon,  who,  in  turn, 
is  the  son  of  James  Gordon  of  Croughly,  for  many  years  an  officer  in  the 
Gordon  Highlanders.  The  Croughly  family  have  produced  a  great  many 
soldiers — no  fewer  than  five  members  of  the  family  having  fought  in  the 
recent  campaign.  These  are  the  four  cousins — General  Redmond  Gor- 
don, 15th  Hussars  ;  Captain  Neil  Eraser  Gordon,  Royal  Artillery,  and  his 
brother,  Aiister,  Gordon  Highlanders  ;  their  cousin,  Captain  Bertie 
Gordon  Clay,  of  the  5th  Dragoon  Guards  ;  and  his  sister's  husband, 
Captain  A.  W.  Gordon  of  the  Dublin  Fusiliers.  Captain  Aiister  Gordon 
was  educated  at  Inverness.  He  joined  the  Black  Watch  in  October,  1890, 
being  transferred  to  the  Gordons  in  the  following  month.  He  fought  in 
Chitral,  1895  ;  in  Tirah.  1897-8  ;  and  in  Ashanti  (as  adjutant  of  the 
Central  Africa  Regiment),  1900,  for  which  he  got  the  D.S.O ;  and  in 
South  Africa,  1901. 

Alexander  James  Marriott  Gordon,  Lieutenant,  ist  Inniskil- 
ling  Eusiliers.  Born  in  1879,  he  entered  the  Inniskillings  from  the 
Militia  on  18th  October,  1899,  a  week  after  the  famous  ultimatum. 
He  took  part  in  the  relief  of  Ladysmith,  and  was  present  at  the 
battle  of  Colenso.  He  also  took  part  in  the  operations  in  the  Transvaal 
east  of  Pretoria,  July-November,  1900,  including  the  actions  at  Belfast  and 
Lydenberg. 


The  Duke  of  Richmond  and  his  Three  Guardsmen  Grandsons. 


This  picture  shows  His  Grace  the  Duke  of  Richmond  and  Gordon  seated.  Behind  him  stand  his 
three  grandsons — from  left  to  right,  Lord  Settrington,  D.S.O.,  Captain  in  the  Irish  Guards  ;  the  Hon. 
Esme  Gordon-Lennox,  Lieutenant,  Scots  Guards,  and  the  Hon.  Bernard  Gordon-Lennox,  Lieutenant, 
Grenadier  Guards.  All  of  them  are  wearing  the  South  African  Medal,  and  Lord  Settrington  is  wearing 
the  D.S.O.     The  picture  is  reproduced  by  the  courtesy  of  James  Russell  &  Sons,  Baker  Street,  London. 


The  Gordons  as  Campaigners  in  Africa  79 

Alexander  Weston  Gordon,  Major,  1st  Dublin  Fusiliers, 
severely  wounded  at  Colenso,  15th  December,  1899.  He  was  also  com- 
mandant at  Potchefstroom.  He  was  born  in  1859,  and  joined  the  Dublin 
Fusiliers,  1878.  He  fought  in  Afghanistan,  1880.  lie  married  in  1892 
Miss  Katherine  Fanny  Clay,  whose  mother,  Beatrice  Gordon  (born 
at  Ivybank,  Nairn),  is  the  sister  of  General  Sir  Benjamin  Lumsden 
Gordon. 

CHARLES  AUSTIN  Gordon,  Imperial  Light  Horse,  accidentally 
wounded  at  Johannesburg,  17th  December,  1900.  He  is  the  son  of  Dr. 
Charles  Gordon,  Pietermaritzburg  (son  of  James  Gordon,  Ballater),  who 
married  as  his  first  wife,  Bertha,  daughter  of  Michael  Francis  Gordon,  XV. 
of  Abergeldie. 

Charles  Gerald  Gordon,  served  as  Captain  of  Steinacher's 
Horse.  Born  in  1868,  he  is  the  son  of  Colonel  Charles  Vincent  Gordon 
(1829-97),  the  brother  of  the  present  laird  of  Abergeldie.  I  may  note 
that  his  elder  brother,  Cosmo  Huntly  Gordon,  Major  of  the  Buffs  (born  in 
1855),  went  through  the  Zulu  war,  and  was  A.D.C.  to  the  Governor  of 
the  Straits  Settlements,  1880-188  1. 

Charles  William  Eric  Gordon,  2nd  Lieutenant,  2nd  Black- 
Watch,  which  he  joined  in  October,  1899,  exactly  a  week  after  the  out- 
break of  the  war.      He  was  born  in  1878. 

Edward  Ian  DRUMEARN  Gordon,  Lieutenant,  Royal  Scots  Fusi- 
liers He  was  born  in  1877,  ar>d  joined  the  Royal  Scots  in  1897.  He 
took  part  in  the  relief  of  Ladysmith,  notably  the  operations  on  Tugela 
Heights,  February  14-27,  1900. 

Edward  Robertson  Gordon,  Captain,  9th  Lancers,  wounded  in 
the  advance  on  Kimberley,  February  14-16,  1900.  Born  in  1864,  he  joined 
the  2nd  Dragoon  Guards  from  the  militia  in  1885,  and  transferred  to  the 
9th  Lancers  in  1896.  He  took  part  in  the  relief  of  Kimberley,  including 
the  actions  at  Belmont,  Enslin,  Modder  River,  and  Magersfontein.  He 
also  took  part  in  the  operations  in  the  Transvaal,  including  the  battle  of 
Diamond  Hill,  and  in  the  operations  in  Orange  River  Colony. 

EVELYN  BOSCAWEN  GORDON,  Lieutenant  in  the  Northumberland 
Fusiliers,  which  he  joined  from  the  volunteers,  in  May,  1900.  He  was 
born  in  1877,  and  took  part  in  the  operations  in  the  Transvaal  west  of 
Pretoria,  August-November,  1900. 

HON.  FREDERICK  GORDON,  Major,  Gordon  Highlanders.  He  is  the 
second  son  of  the  Judge,  the  late  Baron  Gordon  of  Drumearn  (a  life  peer, 
created  1876,  died  1879),  and  was  born  in  1 861.      He  joined  the  91st  Foot 


80  The  Gordon  Book 

(ist  Batt.  Argyll  and  Sutherland  Highlanders)  in  January,  1 88 1,  was  trans- 
ferred to  the  49th  (Berkshire)  in  February,  and  to  the  Gordons  in  1881. 
He  went  through  the  Egyptian  campaign  of  1882-4,  and  was  present  at 
Tel-el-Kebir,  and  the  Soudan  expedition  of  1889.  He  was  D.A.A.G.  in 
South  Africa,  and  took  part  in  the  relief  of  Ladysmith.  He  caught  small- 
pox in  the  transport  Orotava,  on  which  Lord  Kitchener  came  home,  12th 
July,  1902. 

Francis  Lewis  Rawson  Gordon,  Lieutenant,  2nd  Gordons. 
Born  in  1878,  he  is  the  son  of  Mr.  Francis  Frederick  Gordon,  who  is 
son  of  the  late  Lord  Francis  Gordon,  and  grandson  of  the  9th  Marquis 
of  Huntly.  He  joined  the  Gordons  in  March,  1900,  and  served  in  South 
Africa,  1899-1901,  taking  part  in  the  operations  in  Natal,  March-June, 
1900,  including  the  operations  at  Langs  Nek,  and  in  the  operations  in  the 
Transvaal,  east  of  Pretoria,  July-November,  1900.  His  cousin,  Laurence 
(Major,  R.A. ),  also  fought  ;  and  their  young  kinsman  went  through  the 
latter  part  of  the  campaign,  namely, 

Granville  Cecil  Douglas  Gordon,  Lieutenant,  2nd  Scots 
Guards.  He  is  the  only  surviving  son  ol  Lord  Granville  Gordon,  and 
nephew  of  the  Marquis  of  Huntly.  Born  in  1883,  he  entered  the  Guards 
from  the  militia,  September,  1901,  and  went  to  the  front  in  that  year. 

HUGH  P.  GORDON,  2nd  Lieutenant,  4th  Battalion  of  the  Connaught 
Rangers,  served  in  the  Benin  expedition,  1899. 

H.   H.   GORDON,  Captain,  Cape  Mounted  Rifles. 

James  Guy  Birnie  Gordon,  Manchester  Regiment.  Born  in  1881, 
he  was  in  the  militia  at  first.  He  fought  in  South  Africa,  1900-1,  and  was 
slightly  wounded. 

James  Redmond  Patrick  Gordon,  C.B.,  15th  Hussars,  comes  of  a 
very  military  family,  the  Gordons  of  Croughly.  Born  in  i860,  he  is  the 
only  son  of  General  Sir  Benjamin  Lumsden  Gordon  (born  1833),  who  is 
the  son  of  James  Gordon,  for  many  years  in  the  Gordon  Highlanders. 
Sir  Benjamin's  younger  brother,  George  Grant  Gordon  (1835-82)  was  in 
the  Bengal  Artillery.  His  great-uncle,  General  William  Alexander  Gor- 
don (1769-1856),  began  his  career  in  the  Gordons,  and  afterwards  trans- 
ferred to  the  50th  Regiment.  General  Redmond  Gordon  joined  the  15th 
Hussars  in  1879,  went  through  the  Afghan  war,  1880  ;  the  Transvaal 
campaign,  1881  ;  the  Bechuanaland  expedition,  1884-5  J  the  Burmese  ex- 
pedition, 1887;  the  expedition  against  the  Jebus  (Lagos),  1892;  and  the 
Ashanti  expedition,  1895-6.  During  the  recent  campaign  he  commanded 
the  3rd  Cavalry  Brigade,  and  got  a  C.B.  He  rode  the  same  charger  for 
sixteen  months  during  the  campaign.      He  is  very  keen  on  hunting. 


The  Gordons  as  Campaigners  in  Africa  81 

John  Edgar  Gordon,  Lieutenant,  ist  Worcester  Regiment,  went 
to  the  front,  1902.      Born  in  1877.  he  joined  the  regiment  in  1900. 

John  Frederick  Strathearn  Gordon,  2nd  Lieutenant,  Royal 
Scots,  served  in  South  Africa,  1899-1902.      He  was  born  in  1882. 

JOHN  MAXWELL  Gordon,  Captain,  reserve  of  officers,  second  in 
command  of  the  Montgomeryshire  Imperial  Yeomanry,  went  out  to  the 
front  with  the  Yeomen.  Born  in  1862,  he  was  originally  in  the  12th 
Lancers.  He  is  the  only  son  of  John  Taylor  Gordon  of  Nethermuir, 
Aberdeenshire,  and  of  Blackhouse,  Ayrshire. 

JOSEPH  Maria  Gordon,  Colonel,  commanding  the  South  Australian 
forces.  The  son  of  Carlos  Pedro  Gordon  of  Wardhouse,  Aberdeenshire, 
he  was  born  in  1S56,  and  entered  the  Royal  Artillery,  from  Woolwich 
in  1875.  He  became  lieutenant  staff-instructor  Rifle  Volunteer  force, 
South  Australia,  December,  1881.  He  took  part  in  the  formation  of  a 
permanent  artillery  force  in  South  Australia,  and  was  appointed  lieutenant 
in  command,  September,  1S82.  He  became  captain,  August,  1883  ; 
major,  May,  1885;  D  A.A.G.,  December,  1885;  and  hon.  A.D.C.,  Mav, 
1886;  commandant  of  the  South  Australian  military  forces,  1893  ;  lieu- 
tenant-colonel, 1892  ;  colonel,  1895  ;  inspector  of  military  stores  for  the 
Australian  colonies,  1S98-9;  brigadier-general,  1901.  He  was  awarded 
a  C  B.  for  his  South  African  service.  He  visited  his  sister,  Mrs.  Lumsden, 
at  Clova  House,  four  or  five  years  ago. 

Laurence  George  Frank  Gordon,  D.S.O.,  Major,  53rd  Battery, 
Royal  Field  Artillery.  Born  in  1864,  he  joined  the  Artillery  in  1883.  He 
is  the  eldest  son  of  Colonel  George  Grant  Gordon,  C.V.O.,  and  grandson 
of  Lord  Francis  Arthur  Gordon,  sixth  son  of  the  9th  Marquis  of  Huntlv. 
Three  members  of  the  Huntly  family  fought  in  the  war,  including 
Francis  and  Granville  Gordon  already  mentioned. 

Leonard  William  George  Gordon,  2nd  Lieutenant,  2nd  Bed- 
ford Regiment.  Born  in  1879,  he  entered  the  Bedfordshire  Regiment 
from  the  local  militia  force  in  South  Australia.  He  was  wounded  at 
Thaba  Nchu,  14th  December,  1900. 

Louis  Augustus  Gordon,  India  Staff  Corps.  Born  in  1857,  he 
began  his  career  in  the  59th  Regiment  (now  the  2nd  Battalion  Fast  Lan- 
cashire Regiment)  in  January,  1877,  and  in  December  joined  the  Bombav 
Staff  Corps.  He  was  employed  in  the  transport  services  in  the  Afghan 
war  and  in  South  Africa,  where  he  became  Railway  Staff  Officer. 

NEIL  Fraser  Gordon.  Captain,  Royal  Artillery,  is  the  second  son 
of  Mr.  W.  A.  G.  Gordon,  Inverness,  and  brother  of  Captain  Alister  Gordon 


1  1 


82  The  Gordon  Book 

already  mentioned.  He  was  born  in  1869,  and  entered  the  artillery  in 
1889.      He  took  part  in  the  defence  of  Ladysmith. 

ROBERT  GORDON,  D.S.O.,  Captain,  Queensland  Contingent  of 
Mounted  Infantry,  being  attached  to  the  1st  Gordons.  He  served  in  the 
Tirah  campaign.  He  was  wounded  in  the  action  of  Doom  River,  and  got 
the  D.S.O.  Born  in  1866,  he  is  the  son  of  Mr.  James  Gordon,  Riviera, 
Brisbane,  Queensland. 

Robert  Arron  Gordon,  Captain,  1st  Royal  Scots.  He  is  the 
brother  of  Captain  \V.  E.  Gordon,  V.C.,  of  the  Gordon  Highlanders.  He 
fought  all  through  the  war  until  November,  1 901,  when  he  was  invalided 
home  for  dysentery.      He  left  the  service  in  February,  1902. 

Stewart  Douglas  Gordon,  Lieut  Col.,  India  Staff  Corps.  He 
was  born  in  1856,  and  joined  the  72nd  in  1874,  being  transferred  to  the 
Bengal  Staff  Corps  four  years  later.  He  has  held  some  important  staff 
appointments  in  India.  He  served  on  the  staff  in  South  Africa.  He 
went  through  the  Afghan  war,  and  the  Egyptian  campaign  of  1882,  being 
present  at  Tel-el- Kebir. 

VIVIAN  GORDON,  2nd  Lieutenant,  Gordon  Highlanders.  Born  in 
1 88 1,  he  entered  the  Gordons  from  the  militia  in  April,  1900.  He  was  at 
the  front,  1 899-1901,  and  took  part  in  the  operations  in  the  Transvaal. 
He  is  a  son  of  Mr.  Frederick  Gordon,  of  Bentley  Prion-,  Stanmore,  the 
owner  of  the  well-known  hotels  in  London. 

WILLIAM  A.  GORDON,  Captain,  6th  Battalion  Worcester  Regiment. 
He  is  now  A.D.C.  to  Sir  WTalter  Hely  Hutchinson,  Governor  of  the  Cape. 

WILLIAM  Engleson  GORDON,  V.C.,  Gordon  Highlanders,  was 
dangerously  wounded  at  Magersfontein.  He  saw  a  great  deal  of  fighting 
He  took  part  in  the  advance  on  Kimbcrley  ;  the  operations  in  the  Orange 
Free  State,  including  Paardeberg ;  the  actions  at  Poplar  Grove,  Dreifon- 
tein,  Houtnek,  Vet  River,  and  Zand  River  (February-May,  1900)  ;  the 
operations  in  the  Transvaal  (May-June,  1900)  ;  in  the  Transvaal,  includ- 
ing Belfast  and  Lydenberg  (July-November)  ;  and  in  Cape  Colony,  ncrth 
and  south  of  the  Orange  River.  He  won  the  Victoria  Cross  on  1  ith  July, 
1900  for  his  great  gallantry  during  the  action  near  Leehoehoek  (or 
Doornbosch  Fontein),  near  Krugersdorp,  as  follows  : — A  party  of  men, 
accompanied  by  Captains  Younger  and  Allan,  having  succeeded  in  drag- 
ging an  artillery  waggon  undercover  when  its  horses  were  unable  to  do  so 
by  reason  of  the  heavy  and  accurate  fire  of  the  enemy,  Captain  Gordon 
called  for  volunteers  to  go  out  with  him  to  try  to  bring  in  one  of  the  guns. 
He  went  out  alone  to  the  nearest  gun   under  a  heavy  fire,  and,  with  the 


The  Gordons  as  Campaigners  in  Africa  83 

greatest  coolness,  fastened  a  dragrope  to  the  gun,  and  then  beckoned  to 
the  men,  who  immediately  doubled  out  to  join  him  in  accordance  with  his 
previous  instructions.  While  moving  the  gun,  Captain  Younger  and  three 
men  were  hit.  Seeing  that  further  attempts  would  result  only  in  further 
casualties,  Captain  Gordon  ordered  the  remainder  of  the  party  under 
cover  of  the  kopje  again,  and,  having  seen  the  wounded  safely  away,  himself 
retired.  Captain  Gordon's  conduct  under  a  particularly  heavy  and  most 
accurate  fire  at  only  850  yards  range,  was  "most  admirable,  and  his  manner 
of  handling  his  men  most  masterly  ;  his  devotion  on  every  occasion  that 
his  battalion  has  been  under  fire  has  been  remarkable."'  These  are  the 
words  of  the  official  account  of  his  bravery.  Captain  Gordon  is  the  son 
of  the  late  Dr.  Gordon,  of  Bridge  of  Allan,  who  was  of  Irish  origin,  I 
believe.  His  brother,  Captain  R.  A.  Gordon,  fought  with  the  1st  Royal 
Scots  during  the  campaign.  Captain  Gordon,  who  was  born  in  1866, 
joined  the  Gordons  from  the  militia  in  1888.  He  went  through  the 
Chitral  Campaign,  1895. 

Lieutenant  Lachlan  Gordon  Duff,  1st  Gordons.  Born  in  1880, 
he  is  the  son  of  Mr.  T.  D.  Gordon  Duff  of  Park  and  Drummuir.  He  joined 
the  Gordons  in  August,  1899,  a  few  weeks  before  the  outbreak  of  the  war. 
He  took  part  in  the  advance  on  Kimberley,  including  Magersfontein, 
Paardeberg,  Poplar  Grove,  Dreifontein,  Houtnek,  Vet  River,  Zand  River, 
and  so  on.  He  performed  the  duties  of  an  intelligence  officer.  He  was 
enthusiastically  received  by  the  tenants  of  Park  at  a  luncheon  given  by 
his  father  at  Park  House,  on  24th  Jul}',  1902,  and  by  these  on  the  Drum- 
muir estate,  on  26th  July.  Mr.  Gordon  Duff  represents  the  old  family, 
the  Gordons  of  Park,  who  were  came  from  the  Gordons  of  Cairnburrow, 
descended  from  "  Jock  "  of  Sundargue. 

Robert  Gordon  Gordon -Gilmour,  D.S.O.,  Major,  Grenadier 
Guards.  Born  in  1857,  he  is  the  eldest  son  of  Mr.  Henry  Wolrige  Gordon 
of  Hallhead  and  Esslemont,  Aberdeenshire,  and  assumed  the  name  of  Gil- 
mour on  succeeding  to  the  estate  of  Craigmillar  on  the  death  of  his  grand- 
uncle,  Walter  James  Leith  Gilmour,  1887.  He  entered  the  94th  Foot 
(now  the  2nd  Battalion  of  the  Connaught  Rangers)  from  the  militia  in 
1878,  and  was  transferred  to  the  Grenadier  Guards  in  the  following  year. 
He  went  through  the  Zulu  war  of  1879,  and  the  Soudan  expedition  with 
the  Guards'  Camel  Corps,  1884-5.  He  was  assistant  private  secretary  to 
the  Minister  for  War,  189 1-2.  He  commanded  the  2nd  battalion  of  the 
Grenadier  Guards  in  South  Africa  from  30th  May  to  1  ith  October,  1900. 
He  took  part  in  the  operations  in  the  Orange  Free  State,  April-November, 
J 900,  including  the  actions  at  Biddulphsberg. 


84  The  Gordon   Book 

H.  GORDON-TURNER,  Captain  in  Dordrecht  District  Volunteer 
Guard. 

JOHN  GORDON  WOLRIGE-GORDON,  Major,  1st  Argyll  and  Suther- 
land Highlanders,  is  the  second  son  of  Mr.  Wolrige-Gordon  of  Esslemont, 
and  was  born  in  1859.  He  entered  the  105th  Foot  (2nd  Battalion  York- 
shire Light  Infantry)  in  January,  1879,  and  was  transferred  in  the  follow- 
ing March  to  the  93rd  (now  the  2nd  Battalion  Argyll  and  Sutherland). 
He  went  through  the  Tirah  campaign,  1897-8.  He  took  part  in  the  battles 
of  Modder  River,  Magersfontein,  Paardeberg,  Dreifontein,  Poplar  Grove, 
and  the  operations  in  the  Transvaal  and  Orange  River  Colon)'  in  1900. 
He  was  commandant  at  Piennars  Poort  and  at  Balmoral. 

I   shall  be  very  pleased  to  receive  information  about  the  origin  of 
any  of  these  officers  whom  I  have  not  identified. 

J.    M.   Bulloch. 
118  Pall  Mall,  S.W.